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RT 121 .B8 1847 
Buchanan, James, 1804-1870. 


The office and work of the 
Holy Spirit 


u 


OFFICE AND WORK 


OF THE 


HOLY SPIRIT. 


BY 


JAMES BUCHAN AN, :D_D., 


PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY, NEW COLLEQCE, EDINBURGH. 


“ FROM THE SIXTH EDINBURGH EDITION. 


NEW YORK: 


“ROBERT CARTER, 58 CANAL STREET, 
AND PITTSBURG, 56 MARKET STREET. 


1847. 


a ae." 


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CONTENTS. 


ee 


Ly PART I. 


THE SPIRIT’S WORK IN THE CONVERSION OF 
SINNERS. 


Cuap. 1. The Necessity of a Great Spiritual Change, 9 

—— 2. A General View of the Spirit’s Agency, with 
reference both to the World and the 
Church, : : . 44 

—— 3. A General View of the Bide of Converiion 
by which Individuals are translated from 


the World into the Church, : . 68 

—— 4. The Work of the Spirit in eens the 
Mind, : Seahets 

—— 5.The Work of the Spirit in iConsinedie the 
Conscience, . . DEM 
—— An Address to ponvinged Sinners, . 148 

—— 6.The Work of the Spirit in seer a the 
Heart, . : : . 163 
— — J. The Result of the Spirit’s Work, a - 190 
—— 8. The Regeneration of Infants, . - . 212 

PART II. 


ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


Cuap. 1. The Philippian Gaoler, Acts xvi. 19-34, . 239 
~——— 2. The Dying Malefactor, Luke xxiii. 32-43, 261 


- CONTENTS. 


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CHAPTER I. 


THE NECESSITY OF A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHANGE. 


We have a very solemn statement on this subject 
from the lips of One whose personal character, as well 
as his official authority, may well impress our minds 
with a conviction of its certain and infallible truth. 
It comes to us from the lips of Jesus—that same 
Jesus who is the Saviour—the only Saviour of sinners ; 
who pitied us in our lost estate, and entered into a 
covenant with God on our behalf, and engaged in his 
own person to render the price of our redemption ; 
and left the throne of heaven, and appeared as a man 
on earth—a man of sorrows and acquainted with 
grief, and became obedient unto death, even the death 
of the cross,—that same Jesus who afterwards ascended 
up into heaven, and sat down with his Father on his 
throne—to whom all power is given in heaven and on 
earth, who, as mediatorial king, is now carrying on 
the administration of the scheme of grace, and will ere 
long come in the clouds of heaven to judge the quick 
and the dead,—that same Jesus declares, and that, 
too, with the solemnity of a most emphatic assevera- 


tion, “ Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man 
B 


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ae « Oh eS Sele 
10 THE NECESSITY OF 


be born again,” or born from above,* “he cannot enter 
into the kingdom of God.” And can we contemplate 
the character of him who speaks, and his official 
authority, whether as the Saviour or as the Judge of 
men; can we consider his love for souls, and his 
earnest desire for their salvation,—his perfect know- 
ledge of the plan of grace and of every provision 
which it contains, and his divine commission to de- 
clare the will of God, and to decide the case of every 
soul at the last day; without feeling that the very 
benevolence of his character, and his almighty power 
as a Saviour, impart a tremendous force to his words, 
—when “he that is true—he that hath the key of 
David, he that openeth and no man shutteth, and 
shutteth and no man openeth’”—declares that the door 
of heaven is barred against every unregenerate man ; 
and that, notwithstanding all that he suffered on the 
cross, he will himself decide when he takes his seat 
on the throne, that ‘* except a man be born again, he 
cannot see the kingdom of God.” 

In regard to the nature of that change which must 
be wrought on a sinner before he can see the kingdom 
of God, I shall only observe at present that itis a 
spiritual one,—spiritual in respect alike to its sub- 
ject, its author, and the means by which it is accom- 
plished: 2 ts wrought on the soul of man by the 
Word and Spirit of God. The soul is the subject 
of this change; it is not an external reform merely, 
but an internal and spiritual renovation,—a change 
of mind and heart, taking effect on the understanding 


* John iii, 3, evvdt>—from above, superné, 


A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHANGE. ii 


when it is enlightened—on the conscience, when it is 
convinced—on the will, when it is subdued—on the 
affections, when they are refined and purified—on the 
whole man, when “ he is transformed by the renew- 
ing of his mind,” and “ created anew in Christ Jesus 
unto good works ;” so that he is said to be “a new 
creature, in whom old things have passed away, all 
things have become new.”—The Spirit of God is the 
author of this change; the soul is born again only 
when it is “ born of the Spirit”—for “ that which is 
born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of 
the Spirit is spirit.” It belongs to Him to enlighten 
the darkened understanding, by shining into it and 
giving it the light of the knowledge of the glory of 
God; toawaken the slumbering conscience, by con- 
vincing it of sin; to subdue our rebellious wills, by 
“making usa willing people in the day of his power ;” 
“* to take away the hard and stony hearts out of our 
flesh, and give us hearts of flesh ;” to refine and sanctify 
our affections; and to “ work in us all the good plea- 
sure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power.” 
—And this spiritual change is wrought by spiritual 
means,—for the Word of God, or the truth contained 
in the Word, is the instrument by which the Spirit 
acts. ‘ Weare born again, not of corruptible seed, 
but of incorruptible, even by the Word of God, which 
liveth and abideth for ever;” and we are saved 
“ through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the 
sruthy >."" te 
This change is often preceded by a process of 
instruction and conviction, and is always followed by 


12 THE NECESSITY OF 


a progressive course of sanctification ; but it properly 
consists in our being made willing to comply with the 
Gospel call, by embracing Christ for salvation, and 


surrendering ourselves up to him to be taught, and — 


pardoned, and governed, according to his revealed 


will; and as soon as it is accomplished in the expe- — 


rience of any sinner, his whole relation to God, his 
prospects for eternity, his views and feelings, his pre- 
vailing dispositions and habits, are totally changed ; 
insomuch, that he who formerly sat in darkness is 
introduced into marvellous light—he who was at a 
distance from God is brought nigh—he who was ina 
state of enmity is translated into a state of peace—he 
who was exposed to a sentence of condemnation, is 
forgiven and accepted—he who was lost, is saved. 

I need scarcely add, that it is a great change which 
is here spoken of. That is a very great change which 
is wrought on an infant when it is born into the 
world—when it is introduced into a new scene, and 
begins to have a consciousness of its individual exis- 
tence, and receives a thousand new sensations, and 
enters on a life of which it had no experience before. 
So is it with the soul at the time when a new spiritual 
life is imparted to it ; for when our Lord speaks of its 
conversion under the figure of its being “ born again,” 
he evidently represents it as a very great change—so 
great as to bear some resemblance to the first com- 
mencement of conscious existence. Many other 
figures are employed, which are severally descriptive 
of one or other of its peculiar features, but all equally 
significant of its greatness. It is called a renovation 


o 


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A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHANGE. 13 


of the soul, or its being made new ; a transformation 
of the soul, or its being changed into another likeness ; 
a translating of the soul, or its being brought from 
one position and placed in another, and a very differ- 
ent one; a quickening of the soul, or its receiving a 
new life; a resurrection of the soul, or its being 
raised from the dead ; a new creation of the soul, or 
its being created anew by him who made it: the 
washing of the soul, or its purification from defile- 
ment; the healing of the soul, or its being delivered 
from disease ; the liberation of the soul, or its being 
emancipated from bondage; the awakening of the 
soul, or its being aroused out of sleep; and it is com- 
pared to the change which is wrought on the blind, 
when they receive their sight,—on the deaf, when 
their hearing is restored,—on the lepers, when they 
are cleansed,—on the dead when they are raised to 
_ life. Now, of this change—so great, so spiritual, so 
comprehensive—the Saviour himself, who alone can 
save, declares, ‘““Fixcept a man be born Jrom above, 
he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 

By the kingdom of God in this place, we are to 
understand, not the external dispensation of the Gos- 
pel, or the visible Church of Christ in this world, 
although it is sometimes used in that sense, but the 
spiritual and invisible kingdom of God; and the 
statement here made is designed to warn us, that no 
unconverted man is a member of Christ’s spiritual 
Church on earth, or can by possibility obtain admis- 
sion into the Church triumphant in heaven. There is 
peculiar emphasis in the words: it is not said that he 


AST 2 


14 THE NECESSITY OF 


may not, or that he shall not, but that he cannot; the 
IMPOSSIBILITY of any unregenerate man being admit- 
ted into heaven is declared, and that, too, by Him who 
came to throw the door of heaven open for the recep- 


tion of sinners, and who holds in his own hands the 


keys of the kingdom ! 

That we may arrive at a right conclusion on any 
subject, two things are necessary,—a sound principle 
and a certain fact. Inthe case before us, the. prin- 
ciple which our Lord assumes-is, that a man must be 
spiritual if he would enter into the kingdom of God; 
and the fact on which he founds in connection with 
that principle, is, that by nature men are not spiritual 
but carnal, corrupted, and depraved. If these two 
things be certain, the conclusion is inevitable, that a 
great CHANGE is indispensably necessary, or, in other 
words, that ‘‘ except a man be born again he cannot 
see the kingdom of God.’ Let us first ofall consider 
the fact which is here assumed, and then connecting 
it with the principle which is also assumed, evince 
the necessity of a great spiritual change. 

I, In thus affirming the necessily of regeneration, 
and the impossibility of salvation without it, our Lord 
proceeds on the supposition, that in our natural state 
we are fallen and depraved,—a supposition which is 
uniformly assumed in Scripture, and abundantly veri- 
fied by experience and observation. It is implied in our 
Lord’s words, for unconverted men are there spoken of 
as being out of the kingdom of God,* and incapable 


* CaLvin—“ Docemur, exsules nos ac prorsus alienos a regno Dei nasci 
ac perpetuum nobis cum ipso dissidium esse donec,” &c—-In Evang. Joan. 


e- 


A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHANGE. 15 


of entering into it unless they be born again; and it 
is clearly stated in the 6th verse :. ‘‘ That which is born 
of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the 
Spirit is spirit.” In this comprehensive sentence, he 
places in vivid contrast the two great classes into 
which all men are divided in Scripture, I mean the 
regenerate and the unregenerate ; but he does so in 
such a way as to intimate that all men belong natu- 
rally to the same class; and that, if any have been 
restored, it was by their being born again. When he 
speaks of the flesh, he does not refer to the body, but 
to the soul; for, although the term is sometimes used 
to denote our corporeal frame, as when the apostle 
speaks of his “living or abiding in the flesh,” it is 
more frequently, and always when contradistinguished 
as it is here from the Spirit, employed to denote our 
whole nature, as naturally fallen and yet unrenewed ; 
as when the apostle says, ‘So then they that are in 
the flesh cannot please God; but ye are not in the 
flesh, but in the spirit, ifso be that the Spirit of God 
dwell in you.” In this sense it corresponds to “ the old 
man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts ;” 
and to “ the natural man, which receiveth not the 
things of the Spirit of God,” and is distinguished from 
the “ new man, which after God is created in righte- 
ousness and true holiness.” Hence we read of “sin- 
ful flesh,” and “the fleshly mind,” of which it is said 
that the “ carnal mind is enmity against God.” When 
he says, “ That which is born of the flesh is flesh,’ he 
intimates that every human being, as he is born of 
the flesh or of fallen parents, is himself flesh, fallen, 


=~ 


y» 


16 THE NECESSITY OF 


corrupted and depraved; that this is his natural state, 
his state as he is born, and in which he remains until 
he is born again; so that every man, without any ex- 
ception, may say with David, “‘ Behold I was shapen 
in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” 
And when he adds, “‘ that which is born of the Spirit 
is spirit,” he intimates, indeed, that there are now 
two classes of men in the world—the one natural, the 
other spiritual—the one regenerate, the other unrege- 
nerate ; but that this arises not from any original dif- 
ference, still less from any spontaneous separation, but 


from a change which has been wrought on some, while 


the rest remain as they were,—a change which is 
directly ascribed to the regenerating grace of the Spirit 
of God. But naturally all belong to the same class 
and partake of the same character; and although 
there may be, and doubtless there are, manifold diver- 
sities of disposition, and innumerable degrees of guilt 
among unconverted men, yet in the one—the only 
point of essential importance—“ there is no difference, 
for all have sinned and come short of the glory of 
God.” | 

Such is the supposition on which our Lord’s state- 
ment rests—the supposition of the universally fallen 
and corrupted state of human nature; and did we 
really believe this truth,—did we receive it in its full 
scriptural import, and in its application to our own 
souls individually—we should have little difficulty in 
perceiving the necessity of a great spiritual change, 
and the impossibility of our being saved without being 
born again. But this doctrine of natural depravity, 


A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHANGE. | 


although uniformly assumed in the Bible, and fre- 
quently asserted in express terms, and abundantly 
verified by the experience of our own hearts, as well 
as by the universal history of the world, is so offensive 
and alarming to every unconverted man, that he is 
prone, if not to deny its general truth, at least to 
mitigate and soften its meaning, in so far as it applies 
to his own case; and hence many a one who admits 
in general terms, because he cannot decently deny, that 
he is a sinner, shows by his whole spirit and conver- 
sation, that he has no idea of what is implied in this _ 
confession, and no heartfelt conviction that he needs 
to be born again. He admits that he has some im. | 
perfections—some natural frailties, some human infir- 
mities; he may even charge himself with a few 
occasional delinquencies—with the omission, or care- 
less discharge of duty, and perhaps with certain 
acts of positive transgression. But while he admits 
his imperfection to this extent, he is unwilling to 
believe that he is so utterly fallen as to be unable to 
restore himself, or to standin need of so great a change 
as is implied in being “ born again!’ Hence, when 
his conscience is at any time impressed, he thinks of 
nothing more than a mere outward reformation, a 
little more attention to duty, a little more circumspec- 
tion in his ordinary conduct; and thus “ cleansing 
the outside of the cup and. platter,’ he looks for ac- 
ceptance with God, and admission into his kingdom, 
although, inwardly, no change has been wrought, none 
that can, even in his own estimation, correspond with, 
or deserve to be called—a new spiritual birth. If any 


a> 8 


18 THE NECESSITY OF 


such shall read these lines, it should be a very solemn 
reflection to them, that the Lord Jesus, when he spake 
to a self-righteous Pharisee, a master in Israel, made 
no account of his exterior decency, but insisted on the 
necessity of his being born again; and that, too, in 
terms which declare that this necessity is alike abso- 
lute and universal, there being no man of whom it is 
not true, that he must be converted or condemned. 
If you imagine, then, that you may enter into the 
kingdom in some other way, and that you have no 
need to undergo that great preparatory change, I be- 
seech you to remember that the Lord Jesus is of a 
different mind—that he makes no exception in your 
behalf, but affirms, without qualification or reserve, 
that ‘“‘ except a MAN be born again, he cannot enter 
into the kingdom of God.” ‘That solemn statement 
rests on the fact of our universal depravity ; and even 
were it more difficult than it is to-discover the grounds 
and reasons on which it is founded,—such a declara- 
tion, coming from him who is at once the only Saviour 
and the unerring Judge, should impress our minds 
with the conviction, that the matter is finally settled 
and determined by an authority which no power in 
heaven or on earth can challenge or resist. His 
authority in this matter is supreme, and one distinct 
statement of his will should be received as a final and 
irreversible decision ; but the same testimony is often 
repeated, and in great variety of language. At one 
time he tells you, “ Except you repent, ye shall all 
likewise perish ;” at another, “‘ If ye believe not, ye 
shall die in your sins;” at a third, “ Unless ye be con- 


A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHANGE. 19 


verted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter 
into the kingdom of God.” But in his words to Nico- 
demus there is a remarkable peculiarity ; he does not 
merely declare that no unregenerate man shall be 
admitted; he affirms that he cannot, that it is m= 
possible he should be; and it is to the grounds on 
which this impossibility is affirmed that I now pro- 
ceed to speak. 

II. In the Scriptures, we read of some things that 
are impossible with men, but which are not impossible 
with God; and of other things that are impossible both 
with God and man. Some things that are impossible 
with men are possible with God, and to these the 
angel referred, when he said to Mary, “ With God 
nothing shall be impossible ;” and our Lord himself 
when he said to the disciples, ‘“‘ With God all things 
are possible.” But while, in respect to any mere 
natural difficulty, God’s Almighty power is more than 
sufficient to overcome it; there are certain things 
which may be said to be impossible with God himself 
—not from any defect of power on his part, but from 
their repugnance to his essential attributes, and their 
opposition to his unchangeable will. Hence we read, 
that “it is impossible for God to lie,” that he “ can- 
not deny himself,” and that “ without faith it is im- 
possible to please him,”—the things supposed being 
in their own nature contrary to the essential character 
of God, so that he cannot be as he is—he must cease 
to be God, before these things can come to pass. It 
will be found, that to this class of moral impossibili- 
ties, the salvation of an unregenerate man_ belongs. 


20 ss THE NECESSITY OF 


There i is : vik remarkable difference betwixt the 


; statement of our Lord to Nicodemus, and the deliver- 
“ance which he pronounced on another. case of great 


difficulty. In reference to rich men, and the difficulty 
of their entrance into the kingdom, he had said, when 
the young man mentioned in the Gospel “ went away 
sorrowful, for he had great possessions,” “ I say unto 
you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the king- 
dom of heaven: and again I say unto you, it is easier 
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for 


a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” But 


when the disciples said, ‘‘ Who then can be saved ?” 
he answered, “ With men this is impossible, but with 
God all things are possible,’—thereby intimating, that 
although naturally impossible, by reason of the mani- 
fold obstructions with which a rich man has to con- 


e- tend, it was not impossible for him to remove these ob- 
‘structions, nor any wise inconsistent with his character, 


to put forth his power for that end; and accordingly, 
although “ not many rich and not many noble are 
called,” yet some in every age have been converted, 


‘a and made signal monuments of the efficacy of his 
. grace. But mark the difference when he speaks of 


an unregenerate man; he does not say that his en- 
trance into the kingdom, although impossible with 
men, is possible with God; but he pronounces abso- 
lutely, that, remaining in that condition, he cannot 
see the kingdom of God,—thereby representing it as 
one of those things which are impossible with God 
himself, and pu would be alike inconsistent with 
his declared will, opposed to the essential perfections 


A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHAN, ; 21 


of his nature, and subversive of the Ace haccable 
principles of his government. It is possible, indeed, 


—oh! it is very possible, that an unconverted man ~ 


may be converted, that an unregenerate man may be 
renewed,—for this, so far from being opposed to God’s 
will, or character, or government, is in unison with 
them all, and a fit object for the interposition of his 
grace and power; but that a sinner remaining uncon- 
verted should be saved—that a. man “ born of the 
flesh” should enter the kingdom without being “ born 


again” of the Spirit—this is an impossibility, and 


must be so, so long as God is God. 

That it is so will appear 7 the following con- 
siderations. 

1. No unregenerate man can see the kingdom of 


God, because it is impossible for God himself to do 


what implies a manifest contradiction ; and there is 
a manifest contradiction in the idea that a fleshly mind 
can, without any radical change of character, become a 
subject of God’s spiritual kingdom. The expression here 
used to denote the state of safety and happiness into 
which God brings his people, is deeply significant and 
instructive. It is not spoken of, you will observe, as 
a state of mere safety—-mere exemption from punish- 
ment, or immunity from wrath—but as a kingdom,— 
a kingdom in which they are safe, because they are 
protected by his almighty power, and happy, because 
they are cherished by his infinite love,—but still a 


kingdom, in which, besides being safe and happy, 
they are placed under rule and government, and ex- — 
pected to yield submission and service, as his obedient — 


é 


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22 THE NECESSITY OF 


subjects, And so is it with every one who really 
enters that kingdom, whether on earth or in heaven; 
he cannot sv much as enter into the outer sanctuary 
here, and far less obtain admission into the holy place 
there, without laying down at its threshold the wea- 
pons of rebellion, and returning to his allegiance and 
duty. There is indeed an external kingdom of grace 
in which many an unregenerate man may be placed ; 
but the true spiritual kingdom is “ not in word but 
in power.” “ The kingdom of God,” says Christ 
himself, “is within you;” and, says the apostle, 
“ The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but 
righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” 
It mainly consists in the setting up of God’s throne 
in the sinner’s heart, subduing his will to God’s 
authority, and winning over his affections to God’s 
service; and to say that any man remaining in an 
unregenerate state can be a member of that kingdom, 
were to affirm that he might be at one and the same 
time both an alien and a citizen,—a friend and an 
enemy,—alive and dead. Every one must see, that if, 
when God saves men, he brings them into his king- 
dom, and places them under his own holy govern- 
ment, it ‘is impossible, in the very nature of things, 
that they can enter it without undergoing a great 
change; and in this light, there is a self-evident truth 
and certainty in the words of our Lord, “ Except a 
man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of 
God.” 

2. No unregenerate man can see the kingdom of 
God, because it is impossible for God to lie; and he 


A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHANGE. on 


has expressly said, nay he has sworn, that we must 
be converted or condemned, ‘The word of the Lord 
endureth for ever.” ‘‘ Heaven and earth may pass 
away, but one jot or tittle of that word shall not fail.” 
“God is not a man that he should repent: hath he 
said, and shall he not do it; hath he spoken, and shall 
he not make it good.” 

It is very true that we read in Scripture of many 
occasions on which his “ repentings were kindled 
together” and he refrained from the execution of his 
threatened judgments ; but if we consider these cases 
we shall find that they are perfectly consistent with 
the general doctrine, that he can neither change, nor 
lie, nor repent, so as to leave his word unfulfilled, or 
to depart from the principles of his righteous govern- 
ment ; and that they afford no ground of hope to an 
unconverted sinner, that he may enter into the king- 
dom without being born again. Godis said to REPENT 
when, in consequence of the repentance of his people, 
his dispensations towards them are changed ; but this 
change in his dealings with them is only a consistent 
and suitable manifestation of the unchangeable and 
eternal principles on which he conducts his holy ad- 
ministration. Thus, when Rehoboam “forsook the 
law of the Lord, and all Israel with him,” the king of 
Egypt was sent up to Jerusalem with his army to 
chasten them: and “ the Lord said, Ye have forsaken 
me, therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shi- 
shak. Whereupon the princes of Israel, and the king 
humbled themselves, and they said, The Lord is righ- 
teous: and when the Lord saw that they humbled 


as 


QA THE NECESSITY OF 


themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, 
saying, They have humbled themselves, therefore I 
will not destroy them, but I will grant them some 
deliverance.” Again, when wicked Ahab,—of whom 
itis said, “ There was none like unto Ahab, which did 
sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the 
Lord,—rent his clothes, and put sackcloth on his flesh, 
and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly: the 
word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 
See thou how. Ahab humbleth himself before me; be- 
cause he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring 
the evil inhis days.” And when the Ninevites repented 
at the preaching of Jonah, and proclaimed a fast, say-~ 
ing, ‘“‘ Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and 
turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not ;” 
“God saw their works, that they turned from their 
evil way, and God repented of the evil that he had 
said he would do unto them, and he did it not.” 
These, and many other instancés which might be 
mentioned, are so many proofs of the precious doc- 
trine, that, under the scheme of grace and redemption, 
it is perfectly consistent with the truth and faithful- 
ness of God, and the unchangeable principles of his 
government, to refrain from the infliction of threaten- 
ed judgments, when “the sinner forsakes his way, 
and returns unto the Lord ;” but they afford no evi- 
dence that a man may be saved without being changed, 
or that God’s threatenings against the impenitent will 
not be carried into effect.. He will repent of the evil 
only when we repent of the sin: for otherwise, he 
must falsify his word, and act in direct violation of 


“4 Sa 
. 


A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHANGE. 95 


those eternal principles which make it “ impossible 
for God to lie.” 

3. No unregenerate man can see the kingdom of 
God, because it is impossible for God to “ deny him- 
self,” or to act in manifest opposition to the infinite per- 
fections of his own nature, in order to save those from 
suffering, who obstinately remain in a state of sin. 
““ If ye believe not,” says the apostle, “ God abideth 
faithful; he cannot deny himself:” Tven were God’s 
determination in this matter purely arbitrary, yet being 
framed by his omniscient wisdom, sanctioned by his 
supreme authority, supported by his almighty power, 
and declared by his unchangeable truth, it should 
command our reverential attention; but it is not 
arbitrary, it flows, like every other part of his counsel 
or procedure, from the essential and immutable 
attributes of his divine nature. There are some 
things that cannot be otherwise while God is God, 
—and this is one of them: he cannot admit an un- 
regenerate man into his kingdom, for this were to 
“deny himself,’ and to act in direct opposition to - 
every principle which regulates his procedure as the 
Governor of the world. The supposition; that a sin- 
ful man may enter into his kingdom without being 
born again, implies that God must deny himself in 
three respects ;—that he must rescind the law of his 
moral government,—that he must depart from his 
declared design in the scheme of redemption itself ; 
and—that he must reverse the moral constitution of 
man,—or in other words alter the whole character of 
his kingdom. 

That a spiritual character is indispensably necessary, 

c 


96 THE NECESSITY OF 


in order to our being admitted into the kingdom of 
God, may be inferred from the general laws of his 
moral government. In one sense, all men, however 
rebellious, and even devils themselves, are subjects of 
God’s kingdom—that is, they are under his govern- 
ment, as being bound to obey his authority, and respon- 
sible-to him as their Judge. That we are under a sys- 
tem of government, is the intuitive conviction of every 
thinking mind. We feel that we are subject to checks 
and restraints which are imposed upon us by some 
external authority, and which are altogether indepen- 
dent of our own will,—insomuch, that although free to 
act according to our own choice, we cannot alter the 
constitution under which we live, nor emancipate our- 
selves from the control of law, nor escape or avert 
the consequences of our own conduct. That the sys- 
tem of government under which we are placed is 
essentially a moral one, appears alike from the evi- 
dence of our own consciousness, and from our expe-. 


rience and observation of the world at large. There _ 


is a mysterious law written on the tablets of our own 
hearts which reveals God as a Lawgiver and a J udge ; ; 
and our whole experience bears witness to the inse- 
parable connection which He has established betwixt 
sin and misery on the one hand, and holiness and 
happiness on the other. ‘his is the general constitu- 
tion of God’s government ; and from that government 
the wicked are not exempted; on the contrary, its 
reality is evinced by the very experience of those who 


Ndi 


do most resolutely resist it,—just as rebels, when they 


are punished for their crimes, are still treated as sub- 


ou 


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A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHANGE. 27 


jects, and become the most signal monuments of public 
justice. rae 

When our Lord speaks of the “kingdom of God,” 
he does not refer to the moral government which is 
common to all men; but to that kingdom of grace 
and glory, into which it is his will to gather into one 
all his redeemed people,—a kingdom in which every 
subject should be alike safe and happy, being delivered 
from all evil, and defended by his almighty power. He 
speaks of the state into which, as the Saviour, he brings 
his people—a state of perfect safety and peace ; but 
still, you will observe, he speaks of it as “a kingdom,” 
nay, as “ the kingdom of God,” and this implies, that 
while in other respects it differs from the universal: 
kingdom, which comprehends under it the righteous 
and the wicked, the fallen and the unfallen, and ex- 
tends alike to heaven, earth, and hell, it agrees with 
it in this—that it implies a system of discipline and 
government, administered by God himself, according 


to such rules and principles as are consistent with the 


perfections of his nature, and sanctioned by his un- 
changeable will. He is represented as the head of 
this new kingdom and his people as his subjects 
there: and although our Lord does not refer to God's 
general government, but to this new kingdom of grace 
and glory, we may infer from his language that this 
kingdom will bear some resemblance to the former, in 
so far, at least, as to have a moral constitution, such 
as will make a holy character essential to the enjoy- 


a ment of its privileges. It must be so, indeed, unless 


4 


hat kingdom be designed to supersede, or rather to 
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28 THE NECESSITY OF 


reverse the whole moral constitution of the world, and 
to introduce another and an opposite system, which 
should make no account of character in the distribu. 
tion of happiness, and secure exemption from suffering 
without effecting any deliverance from sin. How far 
this corresponds with God’s actual design as it is 
revealed in the Gospel, will fall to be considered in 
the sequel ; but meanwhile there are two considera- 
tions that I would merely suggest as affording a strong 
presumption that Christ’s kingdom cannot materially 
differ in this respect from the general government of 
God :—The first is, that this government is not an 
arbitrary constitution, arising, like the Jewish ritual, 
from his mere will, and capable, like that and every 
other positive ordinance, of being abrogated; but a 
constitution which, as it derives its authority from his 
supreme will, is itself derived from the essential and 


unchangeable perfections of his nature; so that, unless 


God himself were to change, or the relation betwixt 
God and his creatures to cease, the leading principles 
of that government must remain the same under every - 
successive dispensation ;—and the second is, that itisa 
government not confined to men, but comprehensive 
of all orders of his intelligent creatures,—applicable to 
all who are capable of knowing God and serving him 

and extending to angels and seraphim, to whose 
society his people are to be united in the kingdom of 
glory ; so that, unless the redeemed are to be governed 
by a different law, it is absolutely necessary that they 
Should be spiritual and holy as the angels are in 
heaven. From these two considerations, it is mani- 


A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHANGE. 99 


fest, that in setting up a new kingdom, God will 
adhere to those great principles which are involved in 
his universal moral government ; and from its funda- 
mental laws we may infer with certainty, that as they 
who are saved are said to be brought into a kingdom, 

nay, into the very kingdom of God, they must be 
endued with a holy character. 

That a spiritual character is indispensably necessary 
in order to our being admitted into the kingdom of 
God, appears from his declared design in the scheme 
of redemption itself. So far from being intended to 
reverse or supersede the moral government of God, or 
to release us from the operation of those laws which 
connect sin with suffering, the scheme of redemption 
was designed to secure our happiness by restoring us 
to a state of holy conformity to God’s will. Its design 
in relation to the law is declared, when our Lord him- 
self said, “ Think not that I am come to destroy the 
law: I am not come to destroy but to fulfil;’ and the 
apostle, ““ Do we then make void the law through 
faith ? God forbid. Yea, we establish the law.” And 
its design in relation to ourselves is intimated, when 
we read that it was alike the purpose of the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to deliver us from sin as 
well as from suffering, and to restore us to the image 
as well as the favour of God. I solicit your attention 
to the declared purpose of each of the Three Persons 
in the Godhead, in that scheme of grace and redemp- 
tion which is the only provision that has been made, 
or that ever will be made, for your salvation. 


The design of God the Father is thus expressed : 


30 THE NECESSITY OF 


=> 


_. © God hath from the beginning chosen you to salva- 
_ tion through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of 
the truth: whereunto he called you by our Gospel, 


to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus 
Christ.” And the design of Christ the Saviour is 
thus declared: “ Christ also loved the Church, and 
gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse 
it with the washing of water by the Word, that he 
might present it to himself a glorious Church, not 
having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it 
should be holy and without blemish ;’—‘“ He gave 
himself for us, that he might redeem us from all 
iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, 
zealous of good works.” And the design of the Holy 
Spirit is not only implied in his very office, as the 
renewer and sanctifier of God’s people, and evinced 
by the whole scope and tendency of the Word, which 
is the Spirit’s message, and a declaration of his 
will; but it is expressly declared, when it is said, 
“ When he is come, he willreprove the world of sin, 
and of righteousness, and of judgment ;” and that he 
will “ guide his people into all truth,” so as to fulfil the 
Lord’s prayer on‘their behalf, “ Sanctify them through 
thy truth, thy Word is truth.” 


From these passages it is manifest, that in the 


scheme of redemption itself, God proceeds on the 


principle that a spiritual character is indispensably 


necessary in order to our admission into his kingdom. | 


The very salvation which he has provided is spiritual ; 
it includes various blessings of unspeakable value, 
such as the pardon of sin, peace of conscience, assur- 


wr, 


A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHANGE. 8L 


ance of God’s love, exemption from hell and admis- 
sion into heaven; but these blessings, so necessary to 
our safety, and so conducive to our happiness, are ey! 


inseparably connected, by God’s appointment, as well 
as in their own nature, with a new spiritual character, 
and cannot be enjoyed without it,—for the promise 
runs in these terms: “ Then will I sprinkle clean water 
upon you and ye shall be clean: from all your filthi- 
ness, and from all your idols, will 1 cleanse you. A 
new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will 
I put within you: and I will take away the stony 
heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart 
of flesh. And [ will put my spirit within’ you, and 
cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep 
my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in 
the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be 


~ my people, and I will be your God.” 


If such be God’s design in the scheme of redemp- 
tion—the declared design of the Father, and the Son, 
and the Holy Spirit—how can you expect to be saved 
without undergoing a great spiritual change? If you 
hope to be saved without being born again, your hope 
must rest, either on the supposition that you are not 
naturally fallen and depraved, or on the idea that a 
holy and spiritual character is not indispensably ne- 
cessary in order to your admission into the kingdom. 
On one or other of these two suppositions your hope 
must be built, if you expect salvation without a change 
of heart; for, if the fact be certain, that you are na- 
turally fallen and depraved, and if the principle be 
correct, that “‘ without holiness no man can see the 


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Lord,” the absolute necessity of regeneration is at onec 
established. Now, on whichever of these two suppo- 
sitions you may take your stand, there is enough in 
God’s declared design in the work of redemption to 
convince you that they are both alike false and dan- 
gerous ; for if, on the one hand, you flatter yourselves 
_ that you are not so utterly fallen as to require to be 


renewed, or as to be unable to effect your own resto- 


_ration, should not your fond confidence in this opinion 
be shaken, when you find that in the scheme which 
God himself has revealed for the recovery of men, he 
proceeds uniformly on the contrary supposition, and 
makes provision for their regeneration by his own 
Spirit, and speaks to all in the same language, as sin- 
ners that have fallen, and that need to be restored 2— 
and if, on the other hand, you flatter yourselves that, 
although you may be partially sinful, you may yet 
enter into the kingdom without undergoing any great 
spiritual change, oh! should not this presumptuous 
expectation be utterly extirpated and destroyed, when 
you find that it is in direct opposition to God’s whole 
design, and cannot be fulfilled without subverting the 
scheme of grace? For what does your expectation 
imply? Does it not imply that God will depart from 
his purpose of saving sinners “ through sanctification 
of the Spirit,” and save them without being sanctified 
—thereby reversing the constitution of the scheme of 
grace, and violating the principle on which it is based? 
In other words, does it not imply that God must set 
aside the great scheme of redemption—a scheme on 
which he has already exercised all the riches of his 


~ 


A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHANGE. 33. 


omniscient wisdom, and expended the’ blood of his 

Son; that immutable wisdom, and inflexible justice, 

and unfailing truth, must all bend and bow down : 
before the sinner, and suffer him to enter into the z 
kingdom unrenewed ? and do you not see, that the a 
whole design of God in the redemption of the world 
must be abandoned, before your hope can be fulfilled ? . ys co 
Does it not imply that the Saviour himself must reo 
linquish the object which he had in view, when “he = x ey 
came to save his people from their sins;” that he 
must adopt a new design, and throw open the door 
of his kingdom to the unholy and the unclean—not to 
the unholy that they may be renewed, or the unclean 
that they may be washed—for in that sense the door 
is always open, and open for all—but to such as seek 
to remain in their natural state ‘“‘ dead in trespasses 
and in sins ;” and that he must assume a new cha- 
racter, as the Saviour of those who refuse the only 
salvation he has yet procured, and who are “neither 
washed, nor sanctified, nor justified by the Spirit of 
God?” And does it not imply that the Holy Spirit 
must relinquish his offices as the Sanctifier and Com- 
forter of his people,—or that his functions and opera- 
tions are unnecessary and superfluous? for why is he 
revealed as the “ Spirit that quickeneth,” if there be 
no need of a new birth ?—why as the Spirit of sanc- 
tification, if without sanctification you can enter into 
the kingdom ?—and why as the Comforter of the 
Church? Can it be, that he is to comfort men while 
they continue in their natural state, and to pour his 
blessed consolations into unsanctified hearts, and to 


34 THE NECESSITY OF 


make them happy while they remain unholy? All 
this, and much more, is implied in the presumptuous 
expectation that any of us can enter into the kmgdom 
without undergoing a great spiritual change: it im- 
plies that the scheme of redemption itself must be 
changed, and that, too, after it has been accomplished 
by the incarnation, and sufferings, and death of God’s 
own Son; for that scheme proceeds from first to last 
on the supposition that we are fallen, and that we 
must be renewed, if we would enter into the kingdom. 
That a spiritual character is indispensably necessary 
in order to our being admitted into the kingdom of 
God, appears from the actual constitution of our own 
nature, which is essentially a moral one, and renders 
it impossible for us to enjoy heaven, even were we 
admitted into it, unless our character be brought into 
conformity with the will of God. We have already 
seen that the general government of God is a moral 
government, and that a holy character must be neces- 
sary in his kingdom, so long as GodisGod. Wenow 
add, for the purpose of evincing the certainty of this 
great truth, that the constitution of our own nature is 
essentially a moral constitution, and that a holy cha- 
racter must be essential to our happiness, so long as man 
isman. The principles of our own nature, the very 
constitution of our being, must be reversed, before we 
could be happy in God’s kingdom without a holy and 
spiritual character. Let me advert to some of these 
principles; and, viewing them in connection with the 
character of God’s kingdom, you will at once perceive 
that we must be holy if we would be happy there. 


A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHANGE. 35 


It is a principle of our nature—a law indelibly 
written on the tablets of our hearts, and by which 
every one feels that he is a law to himself—that our 
character must be brought into conformity with our 
conscience, otherwise happiness is impossible. Con- 
science is God's vicegerent in the soul—a secret minis- 
ter within—which marks the difference betwixt good 
and evil, and approves of the one but condemns the 
other ; and, while it responds to the unseen Lawgiver, 
acts sometimes as an accuser, preferring a charge— 
sometimes as a judge, pronouncing a verdict—some- 
times as an executioner, carrying judgment into effect ; 
and, though it slumbers and sleeps, it still awakens 
with greater strength, and is always present, so that 
we cannot flee from it, but go where we will, we must 
carry it along with us; and as a part of our imperish- 
able nature, it will survive death itself, and appear 
with us at the judgment-seat, and remain with us in 
eternity.—Now, sin and the conscience are opposed the 
one to the other; and where both meet in the same 
bosom, there is a fearful conflict—sin struggling against 
conscience, and seeking to stifle it—conscience protest- 
ing against sin, and appealing to the justice of God. 
This fearful conflict is, and must be, destructive of 
happiness. ‘There is no peace, saith my God, to 
the wicked; for the wicked is as a raging sea when 
it cannot rest.” One or other, therefore—either sin 
or the sinner’s conscience—must be destroyed before 
his happiness can be secured. As we cannot get rid 
of conscience, we must get rid of sin: sin is the dis- 
ease of our moral nature; conscience is a part of its 


36 THE NECESSITY OF 


constitution ; and we must not expect that God will 
alter the structure of our being, in order to make us 
happy without being renewed. Conscience cannot be 
destroyed, but sin may; and it must be destroyed if 
you would enter into God’s kingdom. 

It is a principle of our nature, that, in order to 
happiness, there must be some correspondence betwixt 
the tastes, the dispositions, the habits of a man, and the 
scene in which he is placed—the society with which 
he mingles, and the services in which he is employed. 
A coward on the field of battle, a profligate in the 
house of prayer, a giddy worldling standing by a 
death-bed, a drunkard in the company of holy men, 
feel instinctively that they are misplaced; they have 
no enjoyment there. Now, suppose the scene to be 
“the kingdom of God,”—a kingdom which is de- 
scribed as consisting in “ righteousness, and peace, 
and joy in the Holy Ghost,”—and that’ an unregene- 
rate man were translated into God’s immediate pre- 
sence, and placed among the society and engaged in 
the services of the upper sanctuary,—oh ! if he were 
not thoroughly changed at the instant when he crossed 
its threshold, can you conceive it to be possible that 
he could be happy there ? Well, then, either our 
characters must become holy, or the whole style and 
nature of God's kingdom must be changed. We 
must be raised to a state of meetness for heaven, or 
heaven must be lowered and accommodated to our 
carnal tastes. The latter is impossible; God’s king- 
dom must be holy, and if we would enter into the 
kingdom, we must be holy too. 


OE 


A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHANGE. 37 


From the considerations which have been adduced, 
——from the general laws of God’s moral government, 
from his declared design in the work of qedeniption, 
and from the actual constitution of our own nature,— 
it must be evident, that a spiritual and holy character\ 
is indispensably necessary in order to our entrance \ 
into his kingdom; and this principle, thus firmly 
established, is sufficient to demonstrate the necessity 
of regeneration, and the impossibility of. salvation 
without it, in the case of all who are naturally fallen 
or infected with sin. If there be any who can justly 
plead exemption from this necessity, they are such 
and such only as can truly say that they are naturally 
unfallen and spiritual and holy, and as such fit for 
the kingdom of God. But the Bible proceeds on the 
supposition that there are none such on earth,—that 
“all have sinned and come short of the glory of 
God ;” and I believe that every conscience will do 
the preacher's work, by convincing you of this great 
truth, provided only it be duly instructed in the things 
of the kingdom of God. If the spiritual nature of 
that kingdom, and the holy character of God, and the 
awful sanctity of his government,and his real design 
in the work of redemption,—if these things be clearly 
discerned by any man’s conscience, as they stand 
revealed in the light of God’s Word, he will intui- 
tively perceive, and instinctively feel, that he must be 
changed or lost—that he must be born anew, if he 
would see the kingdom of God. 

We learn, however, from the case of Nicodemus, 
that the doctrine of regeneration is apt to excite sur- 


38 THE NECESSITY OF 


prise and even incredulity, not only in the ignorant 
and profligate, who make no profession of religion, 


but in many who belong nominally to the Church of | 


God, who are strict and scrupulous in their attention 
to its forms, and, to a certain extent, conscientious in 
acting according to their convictions of duty. The 
man with whom our Lord held this conversation was 
a Pharisee,—he belonged to a sect which is elsewhere 
declared to be “ the straitest sect of the law,” and 
described as “ believing themselves to be righteous, 
and despising others,’”—he was “a ruler of the Jews 
and a master in Israel,” and as such recognized as fit 
to teach and direct others in matters of faith and 
duty; and he seems to have been so far impressed by 
our Lord’s ministry, as to be willing to inquire after 
the truth ; for if his coming to Jesus under the cloud 
of night be a proof that he was still influenced in some 
degree by the fear of man, his coming at all, and 
especially his coming with such a confession on his 
lips— Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher sent 
from God; for no man can do those miracles which 
thou doest, except God be with him’—must be con- 
sidered, if his position in society, his party connections, 
and his Jewish prejudices be taken into account, as 
a sufficient proof that he was in some measure im- 
pressed, and desirous of obtaining farther information. 
Yet even this man, this conscientious Pharisee, this 
master in Israel, this timid but honest inquirer, no 
sooner heard the doctrine of regeneration, and that, 
too, from the lips of one whom he acknowledged as 
a teacher sent from God, than he exclaimed, “* How 


* 2 


ae 


A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHANGE. 39 


«an a man be born when he is old?”—and when it 
was farther explained to him, and its absolute neces- 
sity declared, he still ‘‘ answered and said, How can 
these things be?” The chief reason of his incredulity 
doubtless was, that he had no perception of the spi- 
rituality and extent of God's law, and no inward and 
experimental conviction of his own sinfulness—none 
at least that impressed him with a sense of the ne- 
cessity of any great change to qualify him for the 
kingdom of God; and the want of any heartfelt con- 
viction of its necessity, left his mind open to the full 
impression of those little difficulties as to the mode or 
manner of its production, which often occur to those 
who merely speculate on the subject, but which soon 
vanish and disappear when the conscience is awak- 
ened, and the heart impressed by the great reality 
itself. Perceiving that his mind was perplexing itself 
with these difficulties, and disposed to question the 
truth merely because it could not understand the 
manner in which so great a change could be wrought, 
our Lord first of all suggested a beautiful analogy, to 
show that there were many things whose reality could 
not be doubted, although the mode of their operation, 
and many circumstances connected with them, could 
not be explained. He selected the wind—the vital 
air by which natural life itself is sustained, which, 
although it be invisible, is known to us from its 
effects, —he reminded him, that while its operation as 
an agent in nature was undoubted, there were many 
circumstances connected with its operation which were 
shrouded in impenetrable mystery ; and left him to 


40 THE NECESSITY OF 


infer, that if it were so with that wind which is so 
essential to the natural life of man, it was not unrea- 


sonable to believe that his spiritual life might be pro- 
duced and sustained by an agency equally real and © 


efficacious, although, like the former, it was also in- 
visible and mysterious: and while he seeks in this 
way to remove the ground of his incredulity, which 
was the supposed impossibility of such a change, he 
at the same time brings before him, and presses on 
his consideration, another impossibility, as real as the 
former one was imaginary—which is the impossibility 
of an unregenerate man entering into the kingdom of 
God. His mind was occupying itself with speculative 
difficulties as to the way in which so great a change 
could be wrought; but our Lord tells him, if there 
be a difficulty on the one hand, there is a much 
greater on the other, and that it is not so impossible 
that a man should be born again, as it is that, without 


being born again, he should enter into the kingdom of — 


God. It is in this way that we would still deal with 
the difficulties and objections which are founded on 
the alleged mysteriousness of the work of the Spirit: 
We would first of all remind you, that there are many 
realities which you know and believe in spite of the 
difficulty of explaining every circumstance concerning 
them; and then we would press the great reality on 
your attention, and show, that however mysterious 
the nature and mode of the new birth may be, there 


is no mystery and no doubt, either as to the fact that 


you are fallen, or as to the principle that a spiritual 
character is indispensable, in order to your being 


A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHANGE. 41 


members of God’s spiritual kingdom ; and that, from 
these two considerations combined, it follows, with 
demonstrable certainty, that ‘‘ except a man be born 
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 

I believe that in most cases the difficulty of con- 
vincing men of the necessity of regeneration, arises 
out of the want of a right scriptural apprehension of 
the fact, that they are fallen, and corrupted, and 
depraved ; for did they really believe the doctrine of 
human depravity in its full extent, and in its applica- 
tion to their own souls—were they experimentally 
convinced of the guilt and demerit of sin, and of their 
own sinfulness and danger in the sight of God, their 
own consciences would intuitively discern their need 
of some great change in order to their entering into 
his kingdom. A solid work of conviction would, in 
such cases, be the most effectual argument for the 
necessity of regeneration. But perhaps this convic- 
tion may be wrought in their consciences, by simply 
unfolding and applying the principle which our Lord 
assumes,—viz., that a man must be spiritual if he 
would be a member of God’s kingdom ; for this prin- 
ciple is evident from the very nature of that kingdom, 
and every mind which is rightly instructed in regard 
to it, and whichis duly impressed with its spiritual 
character, its unalterable laws, and its essential and 
pervading sanctity, must intuitively discern its own — 
unfitness to enjoy it, by the evidence of its own con-. 
sciousness and in the light of its own experience. 
For just as one vivid view of God in his true cha- 
racter was enough to draw from the nee of Job that 

D 


* 


492 THE NECESSITY OF 


humble confession—“ I have heard of thee by the 
hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth. thee, 
wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and 
ashes ;” and just as a view of the glory of Christ had 
a similar effect on the apostle when “he fell at his 
feet as dead ;” so-may we expect that a correct appre- 
hension of the kingdom of God, and of its awful and 
unchangeable sanctity, will be accompanied with a 
profound sense of our own unworthiness, anda con- 
Viction that we must undergo some great change, 
before we can be qualified to enjoy, or permitted to 
enter it. 

Let me beseech you individually to weigh well this 
solemn statement of the Lord, and to consider it in 
its application to your own souls: You cannot fail 
to see that he speaks of a very Sreat change, since he 
compares it to your “ being born again”—of a very 
necessary change, since without it you cannot see the 
kingdom of God; and when you hear such a state- 


ment from the lips of one who is himself the only 


Saviour of sinners, and who will, ere long, appear ag 
the Judge of all, you cannot fail to be convinced tha 
it is alike your duty and your interest to apply it to 
your own case, and to improve it for your own salya- 
tion. I am aware that Some, when they read of the 
new birth of the soul, contrive to evade the truth 
which Christ declares, by saying that his words are 
figurative. On this principle they explain away a 
great part of the Word of God. With them every thing 
is figurative: we have a figurative fall, a figurative 
curse, a figurative atonement, a figurative Saviour, a 


“ 


A GREAT SPIRITUAL CHANGE. 43 


figurative regeneration, a figurative heaven, a figura- 
tive hell,—in fact, a figurative Gospel. But grant that 
figurative language is employed on this as on many 
other subjects—grant that metaphors are used to give 
us a lively apprehension of its nature; I say jigura- 
tive language has a meaning, nay, it 1s employed. 
on purpose to enhance the meaning of plainer words. 
What, then, is the meaning of this figure—what is the 
reality which this metaphor describes Does it not 
mean some change—some great change—some great 
change of mind and heart—a change that has some 
resemblance to a birth, a resurrection, a creation ? 
Why were these figures employed, but to declare the 
magnitude of that change, whose necessity is affirmed 
with a decision and a peremptory plainness which 
leaves no room for doubt? — 


44 GENERAL VIEW oF 


CHAPTER II. 


GENERAL VIEW OF THE AGENCY OF THE SPIRIT. 


‘Tue first thought that will occur to every reflecting 
mind, in perusing our Lord’s address to his disciples, 
immediately before his departure, is, that the work of 
the Spirit is, in its own place, as needful and as im- 
‘ portant as the work of Christ himself. We are too 
apt, in modern times, to overlook the necessity, or to 
underrate the value of the Spirit’s grace; we talk 
much of the Saviour, but little of the Sanctifier ; yet 
a consideration of the words which Christ address. 
ed to his disciples in the immediate prospect of his 
leaving them, should teach us that the agency of the 
Spirit is so essential and so important, that his advent 
would more than compensate for the departure of the 
Saviour. “ It is expedient for you,” says our Lord, 
“ that I go away ; for if I 80 not away, the Spirit will 
not come unto you; but if I go, I will send him unto 
you.” (John xvi. 7.) When the disciples heard their 
Lord utter the first clause of this verse, “ It is expe- 
dient for you that I go away,” with what wonder must 
they have listened, and how anxiously must they have 
waited to hear the reason that could be given for so 
startling an intimation! Had they been left to their 


THE AGENCY OF THE SPIRIT. 49 


own reflections, and had they consulted together as to 
what would have been the severest trial they could be 
called to sustain—the heaviest blow which could be 
inflicted on their cause—the most dangerous and disas- 
trous event which it was possible for them to conceive, 
would they not with one consent have agreed in de- 
claring that it would be the departure of their blessed 
Lord? When it was announced to them, Jesus himself 
saw the withering effect which it produced on their 
minds, and he refers to it when he says, “‘ Because I 
have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled 
your hearts.” And no wonder that they were thus 
dejected in the prospect of losing the personal presence 
of Him who was their kindest friend, their unwearied 
benefactor, their patient teacher,—whose wisdom was 
their guide, his power their defence, his sympathy 
their consolation, his approval their reward, and his 
salvation their highest hope. They were attached to 
him as a personal friend, by the strongest ties of grati- 
tude, and admiration, and love; they had Jong asso- 
ciated with him on terms of most endearing intimacy ; 
they had often looked with delight on his benignant 
countenance, “full of grace and truth ;” they had lis- 
tened to his public preaching and his private conversa- 
tion, when “he spake as never man spake ;” they had 
witnessed his miracles of mercy, and his life of un- 
wearied beneficence, “ when he went about continually 
doing good;” and they had themselves received at 
his hands every benefit which Divine love, combined 
with the most perfect human kindness, could bestow. 
And can we deem it wonderful, if the thought of part- 


SS 


46 GENERAL VIEW OF 


ing with such a friend, whose appearance, and voice, 
and person were entwined with their fondest affections, 
filled their hearts with unwonted sadness? But they 
looked to him in a far higher character; they con- 
sidered him not merely as their personal friend and 
benefactor, but as the Messiah that had been promised 
to the fathers—the hope and consolation of Israel— 
the Saviour of the world; they knew that he had 
come on a great public mission, to introduce a new 


order of things, and to found a kingdom which should 


never be moved; and although their views of the 
nature and design of that kingdom were, as yet, in 
many respects defective or even erroneous, they knew 
enough to convince them that it was a great, an ardu- 
ous, and a difficult enterprise, which Christ came to 
accomplish,—that they were destined to be his agents 
in carrying it on, and that in this capacity they must 
be exposed to much obloquy and opposition, and even 
to persecution and death itself,—for with that faith 
fulness which characterised all his intercourse with 
them, he had himself told them, “The time cometh, 
that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth 
God service.” Still these prospects, appalling as they 
were, might have been braved, and these difficulties 
surmounted, and these trials endured, by the little 
band of his devoted followers, had they still been 
called, as heretofore, to follow Christ’s person, and to 
share with him a common danger,—they might have 
persevered with courage and hope, looking to His 
wisdom to direct, and his miraculous power to defend 
them; but now, at this very. point, when the object 


+ 
* 


“ 


rs 


oot 
‘ 


. 
. 


THE AGENCY OF THE SPIRIT. 4} 


of his mission seemed to be unaccomplished, and 
when the cloud was thickening around them, and 
danger lowered over their path, they were to be de- 
prived of their Counsellor, and Protector, and Friend. 
He was about to leave them and the world in which 
they dwelt, and to return to his Father in heaven ; 
and therefore, fearing that they should be “ as sheep 
without a shepherd in the midst of wolves,”—“ sorrow 
filled their hearts.” With what feelings of surprise, 
then, must they have heard their Lord say, “ Jt zs 
expedient for you that I go away ?” with what eager 
curiosity must they have expected an explanation of 
the reason which should reconcile them to so great, and 
in their estimation, so irreparable a loss? and when 
he gave the reason—when he said, “* It is expedient 
for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the 
Spirit will not come unto you; but if I go, L will 
send him unto you,” must they not have been im- , 
pressed with the conviction that the office and work } 
of the Holy Spirit were, in their Lord’s estimation, as | 
needful for the establishment and maintenance of his 
kingdom on earth, as his own office and work had 
been? and ought we not also to feel that we grievously 
err from Christ’s teaching, if we overlook the neces- 
sity, or undervalue the operations of that Divine 
agent, whose advent Christ himself declared to be an 
ample compensation, and more than a compensation 
for the loss of his visible presence with the Church ? 
For what higher testimony could be given to the 
necessity and value of the Spirit’s agency, than. what 


48 GENERAL VIEW OF 


is implied in the words of Christ, “ It is expedient for 
you that I go away ; for if I go not away, the Spirit 
will not come unto you; but if I go, I will send him 
unto you 2” 

We learn from the same words, that the gift of the 
Spirit was purposely reserved till after the exaltation 
of Christ, and was then to be dispensed by him, as 
the fruit of his purchase, the gift of his grace, and 
the proof and manifestation of his reward. We are 
not to suppose, indeed, that when our Lord said, “ If 
I go not away, the Spirit will not come to you,” he 
meant to intimate, that the Church had heretofore 
been altogether destitute of the Spirit’s grace, or that 
the disciples to whom he spoke had not yet expe- 
rienced the benefits of his ordinary influence. We 
know that long before—not merely before the de- 
parture, but before the very advent of Christ—the 
Spirit’s grace had been vouchsafed under the Old 
_ Testament dispensation ; and that every believer from 
| the beginning had been enlightened, and sanctified, 
| and comforted by his spiritual power. David fre- 
quently refers to the Spirit as the author of light, and 
instruction, and comfort to his own soul: « Cast me 
not away from thy presence; take not thy Holy Spirit 
from me. Restore unto me the joys of thy salvation ; 
and uphold me with thy free Spirit.” To the Jewish 
Church at large, the Eternal Wisdom of God had 
said, “ Turn you at my reproof; behold. I will pour 
out my Spirit upon you, I will make known my words 
unto you.” And in regard to the apostles, Christ him- 
self had said to Peter, “« Blessed art thou, Simon Bar- 
jona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto 


THE AGENCY OF THE SPIRIT. 49 
4 eB 
By 


thee, but my Father whichis in heaven.” And again, 
“ Ye know him ; for he dwelleth with you, and shall 
be in you.” But when he says, “ If I go not away, 
the Spirit will not come unto you,” he refers to some 
remarkable manifestation of the Spirit’s grace and 
power, and represents it as being purposely deferred 
till after his departure. As the advent of Christ was 
the great promise of the Old Testament, so the advent 
of the Spirit is the great promise of the New; and 
just as Christ had executed his offices as prophet, 
priest, and king, before his manifestation in the flesh, 
but had a signal coming in the fulness of times; so 
the Spirit, although given before, “‘ must have a com- 
ing in state, ina solemn and visible manner, accom- 
panied with sensible effects,” as in the appearance of 
a dove, and in the resemblance of cloven tongues.* 
This remarkable effusion of the Spirit had been pre- 


dicted before in ancient prophecy ; and we read both. 


the prediction and its fulfilment in the Acts of the 
Apostles (ch. ii.): “* When the day of Pentecost was 
fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as ofa 
rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where 
they were sitting. And there appeared unto them 
cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of 


them. And they wereall filled with the Holy Ghost, | 


and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit 
gave them utterance.” And Peter standing up, said 
“ This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel ; 


* Dr. Thomas Goodwyn on the Work of the Holy Spirit.—Wovks, 
vol. v. D. & , 


pane 


< 


- 


50 GENERAL VIEW OF 


And it shall come to pass in the last days (saith 
God), I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh ; and 
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.” That 
this is the manifestation of the Spirit to which our 
Lord referred in his conversation with his disciples, ap- 
pears from the references which he made to it on other 
occasions, After his resurrection, and immediately 
before his ascension to glory, he said to the apostles, 
** Behold I send the promise of my Father upon you : 
but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be en- 
dued with power from on high.” “ And, being assem- 
bled together with them, he commanded them that 
they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for 
the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have 
heard of me. For John truly baptized with water ; 
but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not 
many days hence.” And “ ye shall receive power after 
that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall 
be witnesses unto me.” (Luke xxiv. 49; Acts i. 4, 8.) 

From these passages we learn that there was to be a 
remarkable effusion of the Spirit after our Lord’s de- 
parture, and that it was purposely deferred, and reserv- 
ed as a proof and token of his exaltation to the right 
hand of God. It is expressly said, “ The Holy Ghost 
was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet 
glorified,” (John vii. 39),—so that, for some reason or 
other, this manifestation was purposely deferred till 
Christ’s humiliation should have closed, and his ex- 
altation commenced. And I think it is very clearly 
intimated, that the gift of the Spirit was reserved as 
the crowning evidence—as the appropriate and pecu- 


— 


THE AGENCY OF THE SPIRIT. 51 


liar proof of the completion of his work, of its accep- 
tance on the part of God, of its efficacy on benalf of his 
people, of his having earned and obtained-the reward 
wnich had been promised, and of his being invested 


with all power in heaven and on earth to carry into full 


effect his great design as the Redeemer of the world. 


Eivery other fact in his history, every other step in his ~ 


progress, had its appropriate proof. His incarnation 
was celebrated by angels—his baptism. was accompa- 
nied with a voice from heaven—his miracles were 
witnessed by thousands—his death, his burial, his-re- 
surrection, were attested by eye-witnesses. When he 
arose and appeared among his disciples, they saw and 
spake with him; and after a season he led them forth 
to Bethany,—‘“* And it came to pass, while he blessed 
them, he was parted from them.” They beheld him 
while he was taken up; but “a cloud received him 
out of their sight.” No human eye could penetrate 
that cloud—they could not follow him, as he entered 
heaven, and took his seat at God’s right hand. But 
before he ascended he had mentioned the gift of the 
Spirit as the appointed sign and proof of his exalta- 
tion—a token of his power when he should appear 
in heaven. And, oh! surely it was fitting that some 
such peculiar evidence should be furnished of a fact 
which no human witness could attest, but on which 
depends the certainty of our salvation! For Christ’s 
exaltation is the proof of the completeness of his work, 
of the acceptance of it by his Father, and of the hopes 
of all his people, And if his exaltation was to be 
evinced and certified by the gift of the Holy Ghost, 


52 GENERAL VIEW OF 


— if this was the appointed and presignified proof of 
that glorious truth, then it is to be regarded as the 
fruit and token of the Redeemer’s triumph, and as a 
pledge that every other blessing which he died to pur- 
. chase has been won, and will be given to all who 
believe in his name. When we consider the subject 
in this light, we may discern the divine wisdom of 
that arrangement to which our Lord referred, when 
he said, “ If I go not away, the Spirit will not come 
to you; but if I go, I will send him unto you;” and 
see how, when the Spirit actually descended, accord- 
ing to his promise, the apostles must have regarded 
it as a proof that Christ was exalted; and if exalted, 
then his mission was divine, his redemption complete, 
his righteousness accepted, his reward bestowed, his 
mediatorial authority established;—so that, when 
Christ ascended, and the Spirit descended, they might 
exultingly exclaim, “ Thou hast ascended up on high; 
thou hast led captivity captive; thou hast received 
gifts for men, even for the rebellious ;” and, turning 
to the unbelieving Jews, they could say, “ This Jesus 
hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses, 
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, 
and having received of the Father the promise of the 
Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see 
and hear. Therefore let all the house of Israel know 
assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom 
ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 

In the conversation which he held with his dis- 
ciples, our Lord gives a comprehensive account of the 
nature and design of the S irit’s work. 


Mt 


THE AGENCY OF THE SPIRIT. 53 


It is represented as being designed for two very 
distinct ends, and for two widely different classes of 
men. It is designed for the conviction of the world, 
and for the confirmation and comfort of the Church. 
The world is spoken of, and also a peculiar people, 
who’have been separated from the world: “ He will 
reprove or convict the world ;” but he “ will guide 
you into all truth.” Unbelievers will be convicted 
by his coming, but believers will be confirmed and 
edified: ‘“‘ He shall glorify me, for he shall receive 
of mine, and shall show it unto you.” So that the 
gift of the Spirit is designed to have an important 
influence both on the wortp and the CuurcH. 

In reference to both classes—Curist, in his person, 
and offices, and work, as the Redeemer, is the one 
great subject which the gift of the Spirit is designed 
to illustrate,—in other words, the Spirit is Curisz’s 
WITNESS on earth, affording such evidence of his di- 
vine mission and mediatorial authority as is sufficient 
to convict, if it serve not to convince, unbelievers ; 
and glorifying Christ, by unfolding to his disciples, 
and enabling them to discern, such views of his glory 
as serve to confirm them in the faith, and to attach 
them more closely to his service and cause. 

Let us briefly consider the work of the Spirit in 
reference to each of these two classes of men—be- 
lievers and unbelievers, or the world and the Church. 

Of the former it is said, “ And when he is come, 
he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, 
and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not 
on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, 


we, 
ae 


54 GENERAL VIEW OF 


and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the 
prince of this world is judged.” (John xvi, 8-11.) 

The word which is here translated reprove,* has 
no exact synonyme in our language, and it is difficult 
to find aterm which, Jike that in the original, is 
equally applicable to each of the three subjects to 
which it is here applied. ‘The word reprove applies 
well enough to sin, but not so well to righteousness 
and judgment ; while the word convince, which is 
used in the margin, is ordinarily employed to denote 
more than is here ascribed to the work of the Spirit, 
as it implies an actual effect in the way of satisfying 
the judgment and securing the assent; whereas the 
original word does not necessarily import any such 
effect. There is no doubt, however, as to the meaning 
of the expression. It signifies to prove upon or against 
—to convict by proof ; or, in other words, to present 
such,evidence as will be sufficient to condemn, if it 
fail to convince. And that we may understand how 
the Spirit may be said to convict the world of or con- 
cerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment, we 
should consider separately the subject, the doctrine, 
and the proof, as they are severally intimated in our 
Lord’s words. : 

The subject on which the gift of the Spirit is de- 
signed and fitted to shed a clear and convincing light, 
is—the character and offices of Christ: “‘ He was 
despised and rejected of men ;” and many among the 
Jews disbelieved his claims when he professed to- be 
the Messiah that had been promised to their fathers, 

*ertvgele 


THE AGENCY OF THE SPIRIT. — 55 


and accounted him as “a deceiver of the. people.” 
Now, on this subject, the Spirit, when he descended, 
was to teach three great lessons: He was to convict 
the world of sin, because they believed not on Christ, 
—by demonstrating, that he whom they rejected as a 
deceiver, was indeed what he professed to be, and by 
giving such a proof of his divine mission as should 
involve them in aggravated guilt, should they continue 
to resist, or deny, or question his claims. He was to 
convict the world concerning righteousness, — by 
which I understand the righteousness of Christ, de- 
claring him to be a righteous person, whom the Jews 
had condemned asa malefactor, and not only righteous 
in his own private character, but in his official relation 
as the Redeemer of his people,—‘ the very end of the 
law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” 
And he was to convict the world of judgment,—of 
judgment in general, as evinced by the whole work of 
redemption, but more particularly of the judgment 
that had been executed om Satan, the head of the 
great apostacy, when he who was the “ seed of the 
woman bruised the serpent’s head,” and when he 
who ascended up on high “led captivity captive,” 
and “ spoiled principalities and powers, and made a 
shew of them openly, triumphing over them in his 
cross,” 

These three lessons or doctrines have reference to 
one and the same great subject—which is Christ him- 
self; and they are all tau®ht by one and the same 
Spirit, and evinced by the same kind of proof. The 
proof in each instance is furnished by the Spirué—and 


a 


56 GENERAL VIEW OF 


by his mere descent, as well as by the revelations 
which he made. The mere fact of the Spirit’s advent 
after our Lord’s ascension, was, in the circumstances, 
sufficient of itself, and apart from any new communi- 
cation of truth, to prove.against the world each of the 
doctrines or lessons to which I have already referred. 
It was sufficient to convict the world of the sin of un- 
belief, since it proved that Christ, whom they rejected, 
was the Anointed of God; to convict the world of 
his perfect righteousness, since it proved that Christ, 
whom the , condemned, was accepted as righteous with 
God; and to convict the world of judgment, since it 
proved that Christ, whom they had unjustly doomed 
to die, had been constituted Judge of all, and had 
executed judgment on the prince of the world himself. 
So that the mere fact of the Spirit’s descent after 
Christ’s ascension, when viewed in connection with his 
prediction and promise, was of itself a demonstrative 
proof of his character and office as the Lord’s Anointed, 
and ‘as such, sufficient to convict, if it did not convince, 
—to condemn, if it did not convert, those who believed 
not in his name.. 

It may appear, at first sight, to be somewhat diffi- 
cult to connect the proof with the doctrine, or to see 
the bearing of the one on the other, as they are here 
stated ; buta little reflection will serve to convince you 
that in reality no demonstration could be more cogent 
or more conclusive, than what is afforded by the gift 
of the Spirit in favour of the mediatorial character 
and offices of the Lord Jesus Christ. For, let us only 
realize the fact as it is set forth in the New Testa- 


THE AGENCY OF THE SPIRIT. 57 


ment; let us bear in mind, that before leaving his 
disciples, the Lord Jesus had intimated to them, that 
after his ascension to glory, and as a fruit and effect 
of his exaltation, he would send down upon them the 
Holy Spirit, and they should be endued with power 
from on high: and recollecting this prediction or pro- 
mise, let us place ourselves in their situation, and en- 
deavour to conceive what must have been their con- 
victions and feelings when that promise was fulfilled: 
—oh ! when they heard the sound of the mighty rush- 
ing wind, and when they saw the cloven tongues, like 
as of fire, resting on every forehead ; and when they , 
felt themselves inwardly moved by a new power; and | 
when they began to speak with other tongues, as the: 
Spirit gave them utterance,—who can doubt that, in 
that solemn hour, it would be the first recollection of | 
every disciple, thatthe Lord had spoken of this, and the 
innermost conviction of every mind, that Jesus was in- 
deed exalted,—that Jesus was none otherthan the right- 
eous one,—that Jesus was now both Lord and Christ ! 
And what must have been the effect of this manifes- 
tation on the minds of unbelievers themselves, we may 
conceive from the sacred narrative, where it is- not 
only said, that “ they were all amazed and marvelled, 
saying Arenot all these which speak Galileans? and 
how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein 
we were born #” but also, that when Peter explained to 
them the prophecy which predicted such an effusion 
of the Spirit, and connected it with the ascension and 
exaltation of that same Jesus whom they had cruci- 
fied, they felt instinctively the force of those very 
1D) 


“43 


58 GENERAL VIEW. OF 


considerations which our Lord states; they felt at 
once, that this miraculous manifestation of the Spirit 
was a sufficient proof that Christ was exalted, and 
if exalted, then righteous; and if he was righteous, 
then they were sinful in disbelieving and rejecting 
him,—and accordingly “they were pricked in their 
hearts, and exclaimed, Men and brethren, what shall 
we do?” Christ’s exaltation, of which the gift of the 
Spirit was the predicted proof, is sufficient, when it 
is duly realized, to carry home the conviction “ of sin, 
and righteousness, and judgment ;” for it was just a 
vivid view of Christ in his exaltation that disarmed 
Saul the persecutor, and changed him into a zealous 
preacher of the Cross. These examples may suffice to 
show that the gift of the Spirit is fitted to convict the 
world by the proof which it affords of Christ’s exal- 
tation and of his mediatorial power; to convict the 
world of“ their sin, because they believe not on him; 
of his righteousness, because he has gone to the Father; 
and of judgment, because the prince of this world is 
judged.” 


In reference, again, to God’s people, or the Church 
which he has gathered out of the world, the gift of 
the Spirit was designed for their instruction, and edi- 
fication, and comfort. Christ said to his disciples, “I 
have yet many things to say unto you, but ye can- 
not bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit 
of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.” 
“‘ He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, 
and shall show it unto you.” 


THE AGENCY OF THE SPIRIT. 59 


The apostles were to be qualified by the gifts of 
the Spirit for exercising the office with which the 
Lord had invested them,—for preaching the Gospel 
among all nations, and for putting on record, for the 
instruction of the Church in every age, the precious 
truths of God. They received the gift of tongues on 
the day of Pentecost, which enabled them to address 
every man in the language in which he was born; 
and Christ’s promise bore, that along with the gift of 
tongues, they should obtain such assistance as was 
needful for recalling the ‘ruth to their recollection, 
and completing the scheme of revelation. The New 
Testament consists partly of a zarrative, and the 
Spirit was promised in these terms,—‘ He shall bring 
all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have 
said unto you ;” it is partly doctrinal, and the Spirit 
was promised in these terms,—“ He shall teach you 
‘all things, he shall guide you into all truth ;” it is part- 
ly prophetical, and the Spirit was promised in these 
terms,—‘ He will show you things to come.” The 
apostles completed the Gospel, and thus was fulfilled 
the Lord’s intimation—* I have yet many things to say 
unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. MHowbeit 
when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide 
you into all truth.” | , 

But not the apostles only—all the private members 
of the Church, and all believers, without exception, 


were interested in the gift of the Spirit. They were 


not all inspired, nor were they all endued with mira- 
culous gifts; but they were all partakers of his renew- 
ing and sanctifying grace. And to this inward and 
spiritual work on the soul, our Lord refers as one of 


Ag 6, 


60 GENERAL VIEW OF 


the fruits of the Spirit which they should receive. 
Accordingly we read, that on the day of Pentecost 
there was not only an effusion of miraculous gifts but 
‘also a copious effusion of converting and saving grace : 


~_ three thousand souls were at once translated out of 


darkness into marvellous light. We are too apt, in 
reading the account of this marvellous event, to con- 
fine our attention to the miraculous gifts which were 
then conferred, and to think more of the inspiration 
by which the apostles were enabled to speak with 
tongues, than of the renewing, converting, and sancti- 
fying grace which accompanied their preaching, and 
which turned so many from darkness to light, and 
from the power of Satan unto God. The former 
manifestation was more striking to the eye of sense; 
but the latter is in itself unspeakably more important. 
The one was a means, an evidence, a sign; the other 
was the efficient cause of every conversion ; and this 
latter is the ordinary, permanent, and everlasting work 
of the Spirit in the Church of Christ. 

If it be asked how far we are still concerned in the 
intimation which our Lord made to his apostles of the 
advent and work of the Spirit after he should leave 
them,—TI answer, that from various other passages of 
Scripture, we learn that we are now placed under a 
dispensation which is called emphatically “ the minis- 
tration of the Spirit,” and under which his people in 
all nations and ages are left to the Spitit’s teaching in 
the absence of their risen Lord. This is the last, the 
complete, the crowning dispensation of the scheme of 
grace It is true that there are now no miraculous 


i a 


THE AGENCY OF THE SPIRIT. 61 


gifts of the Spirit; but the Spirit is still Christ's mit- 
ness im the world, and Christ’s agent in the, Church. 
He has given such a ¢estimony as is sufficient, even in 
these modern times, to convict the world of sin, and 


righteousness, and judgment ; and he still acts as the ~ 


Teacher, the Quickener, the Sanctifier, and the Com- 
forter of the Church, “ guiding his people into all 
truth,” and glorifying Christ, by receiving of his, and 
“‘ showing it unto them.” 

In considering the character. of the Gospel dispen- 
sation, it is of paramount importance to mark the 
distinction which is drawn in Scripture betwixt the 
external manifestation of the Spirit on the one hand, 
and his internal operations on the other,—and to re- 
member that the “ ministration of the Spirit” includes 
both. Of the former it is said, “ The manifestation 
of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal ;” 
that is, the external exhibition of the Spirit in his 
miraculous gifts,—for to these the apostle particularly 
alludes, as is evident from the succeeding verses, —was 
designed and fitted to qualify those on whom such 
gifts were conferred for public usefulness, both in the 
way of convincing the world, and edifying the Church. 
Of the latter, it is said, that ‘he dwelleth in us”—that 
he “ walketh in us”—that “ he worketh in us both to 
will and to do”—that “ he worketh in us all the good 
sere of his goodness, and the work of faith with 
power ;” in fact, as we shall have occasion to show, the 
exercise of every spiritual grace, and the enjoyment 
of every spiritual blessing, is ascribed to the direct 
internal operation of the Spirit on our souls.* That the 


* M‘Laurin’s Works, ii, 110. 


§2 GENERAL VIEW OF 


ministration of the Spirit, in the apostolic age, included 
both the external manifestation and the internal ope- 
ration above described, cannot be seriously questioned 
by any candid reader of the New Testament; and that 
it does so still, is evident, not only from the fact that 
the dispensation of the Gospel is expressly called, by 
way of eminence,“ the ministration of the. Spirit,” 
without any hint being given of any of his essential 
operations being withdrawn from the Church, but also 
from the promise of Christ, which is only fulfilled by 
the presence of his Spirit—« Lo! I am with you 
alway, even unto the end of the world ;” and from 
the method in which the Bible appeals, both to the 
world and the Church, on the subject of the Spirit’s 
witness and the Spirit's agency. It is true that the 
miraculous gifts of the Spirit have been withdrawn; 
but there is still a « manifestation of the Spirit” not- 
withstanding, and such a manifestation as is sufficient 
to convict the world as well as to edify the Church. 
For the Bible—an inspired record in a complete and 
perfect form—is the Spirit’s testimony, the Spirit’s 
witness for Christ in the world, which, more power- 
fully than any miraculous gift, bespeaks God as its 
author, and which carries with it such evidence as 


amounts to “ the demonstration of the Spirit ;” inso- 


much that, as in hearing prophecy of old, so in read- 
ing the Bible now, an unbeliever may be “ convinced 
of all and judged of all,—the secrets of his heart are 
made manifest, and he may be led to worship God, 
and to feel that God is in it of a truth.” Besides 
the Bible, there is still in ‘this world tH Cuurcn, 
which is the visible body of Christ—a body of which 


THE AGENCY OF THE SPIRIT. 63 


Christ is the head, and the Holy Ghost its quickening 
and pervading Spirit; and, by its visible presence, 
and wonderful preservation in the world, as well as 
by its public testimony, the Church is a signal witness 
for Christ. More particularly, the Holy Spirit still 
raises up and qualifies men for the work of the holy 
ministry in the Church; enduing them with such gifts 
and graces as are needful for them in the various 
spheres of labour to which they are called.* And 
there is another manifestation of the Spirit still,—the 
living epistles, which are known and read of all men, 
—who “ are manifestly declared to be the epistles of 
Christ, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the 
living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables 
of the heart.” And :f in addition to these objective 
manifestationst of the Spirit, we consider his subjec- 
tive operations, both in his common influences on the 
minds of unbelievers, against which ‘ they strive,” 
and in his saving influences on the hearts of his 
people, we shall discover ample reason for believing 
that the dispensation of the Gospel is still as really 
“‘ the ministration of the Spirit,” as it was in the age 
of the apostles. | | 

The general view which has been presented of the 
office and work of the Holy Spirit, suggests many 
practical reflections of great value. Of these 4 shail 
only mention the two following:—It teaches us 


* On this branch of the subject, see the great Work of Dr. Owen on 
the Spirit. = 

t The relation which the work of the Spirit bears to the Evidences of 
Christianity is a subject of profound interest, which hasseldom been duly 
considered, but it does not fall within the design of the present work to 
expound it, 


ay) 4c ho a eee 
4 x - . 
‘ a cae bf 
é- , a? a 
. - * ; » 
64 GENERAL VIEW OF 


how defective and erroneous must be the views of 
the Gospel which are entertained by those, whether 
amongst the ministers or members of the Christian 
Church, who exclude from their creed the doctrine of 
the Spirit's agency, or at all events habitually overlook 
its necessity, and neither pray for nor expect his in- 
terposition. ‘That any Christian minister, acting un- 
der a dispensation which is expressly denominated 
the “ ministration of the Spirit,” should ‘be jealous of 
that doctrine which constitutes the very strength of 
his ministry, and that, too, when he is himself de- 
scribed as “ one that ministereth the Spirit ;” that he 
should regard the active agency of the Spirit in the 
Church as a foolish or fanatical notion, when Christ 
himself declared, that the presence of the Spirit there 
would more than compensate for his personal depar- 
ture; and that he should treat with ridicule and scorn 
what constitutes the very substance of Christ’s pro- 
mise, the subject of every believer's prayers, and the 
object of the Church’s hope and expectation ;— 
such views and feelings indicate a lamentable igno- 
rance, not of ome doctrine only, but of the whole 
scheme and constitution of the Gospel; and none can 
wonder that his ministry is not blessed, when he 
slights the Spirit, who alone can render it effectual.* 
The view which has been given of the office and 
work of the Spirit, should also address an instructive 
Jesson to those hearers of the Word who imagine that 
they are now in a less favourable situation than were 
the earlier followers of Christ. Such men complain 


* See an excellent sermon on “the Ministration of the Spirit,” preached 
before the Synod of Aberdeen, by the Rev, Mr Davidson of the West Church. 


bs 4 * my . 7 % 
THE AGENCY OF THE SPIRIT. 65 


that there is now no supernatural manifestation—no 
visible miracle—no convincing sign of Christ’s presence 
and power in his Church ; and are apt to think, that 
had they been permitted ‘to see Jesus the Lord, to 
hear his voice, and to witness his wonderful works, 
they would have certainly believed. Now, not toin- 
sist on the fact, that multitudes who did see the Lord 
in person, who followed him from village to village, 
and heard his discourses, and saw his miracles, were 
not only not convinced, but were hardened in unbelief 
and exasperated into enmity,—I wish you to observe, 
that even his chosen disciples, who companied with 
him for years, were distinctly told that their future 
condition would be not worse, but better, when Christ 
should leave them, and the Spirit descend ; and does 
not this imply that the grace of the Spirit was of more 
importance to the Church than the personal presence 


of Christ himself—that it was more than sufficient to * 


compensate for his departure? And what more could 
be said to convince you of your error, if now, under 
the final and perfect dispensation of the Gospel, and 
under.“ the very ministration of the Spirit,” you. re- 
main in a state of unbelief? It is true you have no 
miracles ; but you have the Spirit's testimony in your 
hands ; and if “ ye believe not Moses and the pro- 
phets,” or Christ, and his evangelists ‘and apostles, 


“neither would ye believe though one rose from the 
dead.” ses 


For, consider seriously the distinction which is_ 
so strongly marked in Scripture betwixt the mira-_ 


culous gifts and the internal graces of the Spirit, 
and ask yourselves, which of the two is the more 


66 GENERAL VIEW OF 


valuable? That they are quite distinct, is evident 
from the fact that they might exist separate and apart 
from each other. Many, in primitive times, were 
renewed and sanctified by the Spirit’s grace, who 
were not endued with miraculous powers; and some, 
again, were endued with his miraculous gifts, who 
were not made partakers of his saving grace. This 
appears from the case of Saul under the Old Testa- 
ment, who was endued with the gift of prophecy, 
while his heart was unrenewed,—from the case of 
Judas under the New,—and still more from the solemn 
words of our Lord himself: ‘“‘Many shall come to 
me in that day, saying, Lord, Lord, have we not pro- 
phesied in thy name, and in thy name cast out devils, 

and in thy name done many wonderful works? To 
whom I will answer, I never knew you ; depart from 


me, ye workers of iniquity.” The miraculous gifts, 


and the internal graces of the Spirit, then, are quite 
distinct, and might even exist apart. Now, of the 
two which is the more valuable? Surely that which 
stands connected with the salvation of the soul; for 
even were there no express testimony of Scripture on 
the subject, this inference would be warranted by the 
simple fact, that his inward grace alone can save the 
soul. But there is an express testimony of Scripture 
on the subject: for, bringing these two things into 
direct comparison, the apostle intimates that one 
saving grace in the heart is of greater value than all 
pee gifts put together. Having spoken (1 Cor. 
1. 30) of the gifts of healing, tee miracles, and 
rama he says, “ Covet earnestly the best gifts,” 
—an expression which shows that he did not by any 


THE AGENCY OF THE SPIRIT. 67 


means disparage them ; but he adds, “ And yet show 
I unto you a more excellent way.” And whatis that ? 
«Though I speak with the tongues of men and of 
angels, and have not charity” or Love, “ [ am become 
as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though 
I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mys- 
teries, and all knowledge ; and though I have all faith, 
so that I could remove mountains, and have not cha- 
rity” or love, “I am nothing.” Here he selects one 
of the inward graces of the Spirit—for “the fruit of 
the Spirit is love,”—and declares of it that it is more 
valuable than all the miraculous gifts of the Spirit 
combined. Now these two—the miraculous gifts and 
the internal graces of the Spirit—being distinct, and 
capable of existing separately, and the one being so 
much more valuable than the other, the only question 


that remains is, Which of the two is the permanent ‘. 


inheritance of the Church? It is evidently the more 
valuable of the two. The miraculous gifts” of the 
Spirit have long since been withdrawn.* They were 
used for a temporary purpose. They were the scaf- 
folding which God employed for the erection of a 
spiritual temple. When it was no longer needed, the 
scaffolding was taken down, but THE TEMPLE still 
stands, and is occupied by his indwelling Spirit; for, 

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and 
that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Cor 

iii. 16.) 


* The fact is admitted by the Rev. E. Irving, but is ascribed to the 
want of faith on the part of the Church.—Homilies on Baptism, p. 152. 


68 GENERAL VIEW OF 


CHAPTER III. 


GENERAL VIEW OF THE PROCESS OF A SINNER’S 
CONVERSION. 


In the last chapter I endeavoured to illustrate the 
general design of the gift of the Spirit, in reference 
both to the World and the Church, founding my ob- 
servations on that comprehensive statement of our 
Lord, “ It is expedient for you that I go away ; for if 
I go not away, the Spirit will not come unto you; 
but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when 
he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of 
righteousness, and of judgment ;” and “ he will guide 
you into alltruth ;” “ he shall glorify me; for he shall 
receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. Two 
classes are here spoken of,—the two great classes into 
which, according to the Scriptures, all mankind are 
divided—the world and the Church; and the gift of 
the Spirit was designed to have an important bearing 
on each: it was designed to reprove or convict the 
one, and to instruct, and guide, and edify the other. 
It is a mistake to imagine that the gift of the Spirit 
is so confined to the Church as to have no bearing at 
all on the unbelieving world. It was expressly inti- 


THE PROCESS OF A SINNER’S CONVERSION. 69 


mated by our Lord, that when “he came, he should 
reprove the world,” or convict the world by proof, con- 
cerning “ sin, and righteousness, and judgment ;” and 
the apostle, referring to one of the miraculous fruits of 
the Spirit, says, “ Tongues are for a sign, not to them 
that believe, but to them that believe not; but pro- 
phesying”—another gift of the same Spirit—“ serveth 
not for them that believe not, but for them that be- 
lieve.” The Spirit, then, affords such proof or evidence 
to the unbelieving world, as is sufficient either to con- 
vince or convict, to convert or to condemn them; 
while to the believing Church and people of God, he 
imparts larger and clearer views of divine truth, and 
enables them to discern “ the light of the knowledge 
of the glory of Godin the face of Jesus Christ.” 

But betwixt these two classes, however real the 
distinction, and however wide the difference which 
divides the one from the other, there is not now, as 
there will hereafter be, an impassable barrier of sepa- 
ration, In the state of retribution, believers may say 
with Abraham, “ Between us and you there is a great 
gulf fixed, so that they which would pass from hence 
to you cannot, neither can they pass to us that would 
come from thence ;” but in the present state of grace 
there is no such barrier ; souls are continually passing 
from the world to the Church—from darkness to light 
—from death to life; the way is plain—the door is 
open—the warrant is clear; every believer was once 
an unbeliever; every saint was once a sinner; and 
all God’s people will gratefully acknowledge, that if 
they now belong to a peculiar class, and are no longer 


70 GENERAL VIEW OF 


“aliens and strangers, but fellow-citizens with the 
saints, and of the household of faith,” this is not to be 
ascribed to any original difference betwixt them and 
their fellow-men—for naturally all belong to the same 
class, and partake of the same character,—but solely to 
that great change which was wrought on their souls, 
when they “had their eyes opened, and were turned 
from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan 
unto God.” Now, it is to the case of a soul, while 
it is in a state of transition from the one class into 
the other, and passing from the world into the Church, 
that I propose at present to direct your attention ; 
and in doing so I shall endeavour to present a gene- 
ral view of the process of a sinner’s conversion, when, 
being reproved as one of the world, he comes also to 
be guided and taught as one of Christ’s disciples. 

In the Holy Scriptures, the origin of the scheme of 
redemption is ascribed to the love of the Father; and 
its ultimate issue is declared to be “ the salvation” of 
his people, or “their obtaining of the glory of our 
Lord Jesus Christ ;” but betwixt these two there is a 
middle term, descriptive of a change through which 
they must pass,—a change contemplated and provided 
for in God’s eternal purpose, and essentially necessary 
as an element in their preparation for the glory that 
remaineth ‘to be revealed. “God. has chosen you to 
salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and 
belief of the truth.” This is an integral part of the 
Divine plan, and an essential requisite to our admis- 
sion into heaven 3, and it is described in two clauses 
—the one pointing to the agent by whom the change 


THE PROCESS OF A SINNER’S CONVERSION. 71 


is wrought—the other to the means which he employs 
in accomplishing it: “‘ through sanctification of the 
Spirit’—he is the agent; and “ belief of the truth’— 
that is the means. . 

We learn from this and many other passages, that 
our personal and saving interest in the redemption of 
Christ, depends on its being applied to us individually 
by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. The 
Holy Spirit, not less than the Father and the Son, 
has an important office in the work of our salvation: 
it belongs to him to apply to individuals the redemp- 
tion that was purchased by the Saviour. It is through 
“sanctification of the Spirit” that any obtain the 
“ glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Christ’s salvation 
can be of no use to any man unless he be made a 
partaker of it; and he is made a partaker of it only 
by the work of the Spirit. You may be labouring 
under a loathsome, inveterate, and fatal disease; a 
remedy may be provided for you—it may be purchas- 
ed—it may be offered freely for your acceptance ; but 
if either through insensibility as to your danger, or 
indifference as to your life, or unbelief as to the skill 
of the physician, or dislike to his method of cure, you 
refuse the proffered remedy, it is of no practical use— 
you disbelieve and die ;—so is it with your souls; sin 
is your disease; God has prescribed the cure, Christ 
has purchased it; it is freely and fully proposed to 
every sinner in the Gospel; but it is of no saving 
benefit to any, unless it be applied to them by the 
Holy Spirit. 

It is deeply interesting to observe that in ene 


72 GENERAL VIEW OF 


comprehensive summaries of the Gospel which occur 
in various parts of Scripture, the agency of each of 
the Three Persons of the Godhead, in the work of 
men’s salvation, is distinctly stated; and that, on the 
agency of the Spirit the whole practical effect of what 
was wrought by the Father and the Son is declared to 
depend. For example,—it is by the Spirit that God 
approaches to us through Christ; for he draws near 
to sinners in the Word, which is the Spirit’s message, 
and by the Spirit’s grace that. Word is rendered effec- 
tual: “ He saves us by the washing of regeneration 


and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he sheds 


on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Lord.” — 
It is by the Spirit that we have access to God through 
Christ: “ Through whom we both have access by one 


Spirit unto the Father.”—It is by the Spirit that we 


become partakers of all the benefits which were pur- 
chased by the Son, and are offered by the Father: 
for ‘‘ ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified 
in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of 
our God.” 
It is-equally true, then, that but for Christ’s death, 
the Spirit would not have been given; and that but 
for the Spirit’s work, Christ's death would have been 
in vain. ‘This was the view entertained by the divines 
of the Reformation; and accordingly, you will mark 
a singular beauty in the arrangement of the Shorter 
‘ atechism, where, after a full account is given of 
Christ’s work, both in his state of humiliation and 
exaltation, the Spirit’s agency in the application of re- 
demption to individuals is interposed betwixt the work 


THE PROCESS OF A SINNER’S CONVERSION, 73 


of Christ and the saving benefits which flow from 
it to his people. It is the Spirit’s work which con- 
nects the two—which forms the link betwixt the pur- 
chase of salvation on the part of the Redeemer, and 
the enjoyment of salyation on the part of his people; 
and never till this great article of our faith is duly 
understood and acknowledged, shall we either feel as 
we ought how absolutely we are dependent on free 
grace from first to last, nor how admirably, at every 
stage, God has provided for us the grace which we 


need ! 
Sanctification ig used sometimes in a wider, and 


at other times in a more restricted, sense. In the 
latter, it is descriptive of the progressive and gradual 
advancement of believers in the path of faith and 
holiness and comfort,—or, in other words, their spiri- 
tual growth after they have been born again; but in 
the former it includes the new birth itself, as well as 
the life which flows from it,—the first as well as the 
succeeding steps of that course which begins in con- 
version, and ends in glory. In this comprehensive 
sense it denotes a radical change of mind and _ heart, 
whereby new views, new principles, new motives, new 
hopes, and new habits are imparted to them; so that 
they become “new creatures: old things pass away; 
all things become new.” The whole of this change is 
ascribed to the agency of the Spirit of God: it is 
“through sanctification of the Spirit” that a sinner is 
born again; and it is “through sanctification of the 
same Spirit” that he is enabled to die more and more 
_ unto sin, and to live unto righteousness. 

F 


o 


Ne, 


74. GENERAL VIEW OF 


te 


But while the great change is wrought by the power 
“ the Spirit, this divine agent acts by the use of means 


“such as are adapted to the constitution of the human 
‘mind. Itis through “ belief of the truth” that the Spirit 
fulfils, in the case of adults, our Lord’s prayer on be- 
half of his people—“ Sanctify them through thy truth, 
thy Word is truth.” The Word, or the truth contained 
in the Word, is the instrument by which the Spirit acts 
in applying the benefits of Christ’s redemption ; and it 
is an instrument admirably adapted toitsend. Power- 
less in itself, it is mighty through God. Itis the sword 
of the Spirit. It is the hammer by which he breaks 
the rock in pieces. It is the light which he opens the 
mind to receive. It is the food by which he feeds, and 


+ the medicine by which he heals, and the consolation 


+A 
a »* 
\ t P 


with which he comforts. The Spirit and the Word 
must not be disjoined ; the sanctification of the Spirit, 
and the belief of the truth, are inseparably linked to- 


gether, and are equally essential—the one as an effi- 
cient agent, the other as a fit instrument or means. 
» Mark how uniformly they go together in Scripture. 
Of regeneration it is said, that we are “ born of 


water and of the Spirit,”—he is the agent in that great 
initial change; but it is also said, we are “ born not 
of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, even by the 
Word of God,’—that is the instrument by which the 
change is wrought. Of Lydia, it is said, “ The Lord 
opened the heart of Lydia,”’—here is divine agency ; 
but-the use of means was not superseded, for it is 
added, “so that she attended to the things that were 
spoken of Paul,”—here is the instrumentality of the 


- 
¢ 


he 


THE PROCESS OF A-SINNER’S CONVERSION. JH 9 


Wont And the Psalmist’s prayer, “‘ Open thou mine 
eyes,’ recognises the necessity of divine influence; ¥ 
but when he adds, “ that I may see wonderful | things 
out of thy law,” divine truth, as revealed in the W "ord, 
is also recognised as the means of his instruction. 
These two— the sanctification of the Spirit, and belief 
of the truth—are equally essential, and the one must 
not be allowed to supersede or exclude the other. 
Having premised these general observations, let us 
now conceive the case of a soul that belongs as yet to 
the world, or to the class of unbelieving men, and 
consider the way in which, through the agency of the 
Spirit of God, he is translated into the other class, and 
made a living member of hisChurch. This transition 
occurs at the time of his conversion; and the process ak 
by which it is effected may differ in different cases, ae 
in respect to some of its concomitant circumstances, er ie 
but essentially and substantially it consists in his being | 5a 
brought to believe the truth, so as to comply with, and «fee 
embrace the method of salvation which is proposed to” ig see 
him in the Gospel. And in order to this, there are ‘gf foge 
ihree distinct steps or stages by which the Spirit of = 
God leads a sinner to the Saviour, which are described . 
and placed in their natural order in the Shorter 
Catechism, where we read, that ‘‘ Effectual calling is 
the work of God’s Spirit, whereby convincing us of 
our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the 
knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth 
persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ for 
salvation, as he is freely offered to us in the Gospel.” oe 
The first part of the Spirit’s work, in order to a a 


76 GENERAL VIEW OF 


sinner’s conversion, is “ to convince him of his sin and 
misery,” and especially of his guilt and danger as an 
unbelicver, living hitherto without Christ, and there- 
fore without God and without hope in the world. 
This is expressly declared by the Saviour to be part of 
the Spirit’s work: “ He shall reprove the world of 
sin: of sin, because they believe not in me.” It does 
not suit my present purpose to describe the nature of 
conviction, or to give a detailed account of the sin- 
ner’s experience under it; that will fall to be consi- 
dered hereafter. In the meantime, I would only offer 
an outline of the whole process by which a sinner 
is translated from the kingdom of darkness into the 
kingdom of God's dear Son; and show, in regard to 
each of the stages of that process, the place which it 
holds, and its indispensable necessity, in order to sav- 
ing conversion. Conviction occupies the first place ; 
for it is by convicting that the Spirit converts; but 
when it is thus used, the term must be understood in 
a large and comprehensive sense, as including a great 
deal more than is usually implied in mere remorse on 
account of sin. It is chiefly of their sin, because they 
do not believe in Christ, and of their misery and dan- 
ger a Christless sinners, that the Spirit convicts trans- 
gressors—for the whole work of conviction, as well as 
the work of illumination and persuasion, has reference 
to Curist as the great subject of the Spirit’s witness. 
It is important to bear this in mind; for many, under 
the mere natural operation of conscience, are sensible, 
at least occasionally, of very bitter and poignant 
remorse, when they have never seriously thought of 


THE PROCESS OF A SINNER’S CONVERSION. Th 


Christ or felt their need ofa Saviour, whereas the con- 
viction which is spoken of in the Gospel has a direct 
relation to Christ, and implies not only a sense of 
guilt on the conscience, but a sense of the sin and 
misery of remaining in a Christless-state. It presup- 
poses, therefore, some general knowledge of Christ 
and the Gospel, as well as a sense of guilt, and a feel- 
ing of remorse; and it cannot be produced without an 
impression being first made on the mind of the cer- 
tain truth, the awful authority, and the transcendent 
importance of the Gospel. In this: comprehensive 
sense, conviction presupposes some measure of the 
enlightening grace of the Spirit—imparting a general 
view of the truth as it is in Jesus, and enabling the 
mind to perceive the divine evidence of that truth, so 
as to feel that it is deeply criminal in slighting or re- 
jecting it; and when it is said, therefore, that in the 


order of nature and experience, conviction is the first — 


part of the Spirit’s work, or the first stage in that pro- 
cess by which he brings a-sinner to the Saviour, it is 
not meant that the Spirit operates, directly and only 
on the conscience, so as to awaken in it asense of sin, 
but that he operates on the conscience by imparting 
such light to the understanding as reaches the con- 
science, and quickens its perception, and enables it to 
see and feel that there is sin and danger in not be- 
Jieving in Christ. Such conviction embraces, indeed, 


the guilt of every sin; and the Spirit recalls to the’ 


recollection of the transgressor many sins, both of 
omission and commission, which he had long over- 
looked or forgotten; for at that solemn hour God says 


78 GENERAL VIEW OF 


to him, “ Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such 
an one as thyself; but I will reprove thee, and set thy 
sins in order before thy face ;” 
gressions start up, and pass in dark array before him, 


and when his trans- 


he is surprised and startled by the discovery of their 
number, and magnitude, and manifold aggravations,— 
insomuch that he is ready to exclaim with the Psal- 
mist, ‘‘ My transgressions. have gone up over mine 
head, and have become a burden too heavy for me.” 
Any one sin may thus become the occasion of con- 
viction: and it is by revealing sin to the conscience 
that the Spirit awakens it; but conviction is not com- 
plete, nor is it effectual as a means towards conversion, 
unless it amount to a.persuasion, that without Christ 
our case is desperate, and that we have sinned, as in 
other respects, so in this especially, because we have 
not believed in him. 

No man eyer thinks of going to a physician until 
he feels that there is disease upon him: he may be 
diseased, and that mortally, but till he knows and 
believes that he is so, he seeks not for aremedy. No 
man cries for a deliverer, until he believes himself to 
be in danger: he may be in danger, and. yet be igno- 
rant of it, and his danger is often greatest when he is 
least alarmed ; but until he knows his danger, he has 
no desire for-deliverance. Just so, the sinner is dis- 
eased; but he will never repair to Christ as a physi- 
cian, till he knows that-Christ only is the Physician 
of souls. The sinner is in danger, but never will he 
flee to Christ for refuge, until he is convinced, uae 
without Christ he must perish. 


wd 


THE PROCESS OF A SINNER’S CONVERSION, 79 


To some this may appear a very easy matter, and 
one that requires no supernatural agency, since all 
men will readily admit that they are sinners; and the 
natural light of conscience itself may seem to be 
sufficient, especially when combined with the light of 
the Word, to convince them of their danger. But, 
easy as it may appear, I apprehend that this is the very 
stage at which the Divine Spirit meets with the stout- 
est resistance, and at which the sinner is most reso- 
lutely blind to the plainest lessons of the Word. For 
why is it that so many are found in every congregation, 
who have listened for years to a faithful ministry, and 
have become familiar with the joyful sound, while they 


remain utterly unconcerned about the salvation of 


their souls, and have never experienced, never even 
sought after the relief which the Gospel offers ?/—why 
but that they have never been convinced of their sin 
and misery, or at least that they have never been so 
convinced, as to feel that, without Christ, they must 
perish? Itis indeed an easy thing to’say, as many 
do, that they are weak, frail creatures, or to admit in 
general terms what conscience itself forbids them to 
deny, that they are sinners; but it is no easy and no 
pleasant thing for any man to open his eyes, and to 
look fairly and fully on his ewn condition and cha- 
racter, as it is exhibited in the light of God’s Word, 
or as one day he shall see it at the judgment-seat of 
Christ. Such a view of himself would mortify his 
pride and alarm his fears; and hence he takes re- 


fuge in certain general confessions, which have little 


or no meaning, and which leave his pride unmor- 


=. 


vt 


80 GENERAL VIEW OF 


tified, and his fears asleep. ‘‘ Every one that doet}, 
evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest 
his deeds should be reproved.” He shuts his eyes, 
and thereby contrives to maintain a deceitful security, 
while he betrays a secret consciousness that the light 
would disturb or destroy it. Such being the natural 
tendency, and the inveterate habit of every guilty 
mind, it is not by the mere operation of his own con- | 
science, but by the direct agency of the Spirit of God, 
that any sinner can be duly convinced of his sin, and 
misery, and danger. He never sees himself as he 
really is, until his eyes are opened by the Spirit, and 
some rays at least of heaven’s own light are admitted 
into the darkened chamber of imagery within. This 
the Spirit does, partly by revealing to him the essential 
purity, the unsullied holiness, the awful and infinite 
perfection of God’s character, which is no sooner per- 
ceived than he marks the contrast betwixt it and his 
own, and is ready to exclaim—“ I have heard of thee 
by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth 
thee; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust 
and ashes ;”—partly by unfolding the spirituality and 
extent of God’s law, and applying it closely to the 
conscience ; which is no sooner felt, than he is ready 
to acknowledge—* I was alive without the law once, 
but when the commandment came, sin revived, and i 
died ;”—partly by recalling to his remembrance many 
sins long forgotten, or too easily excused, and exhi- 
biting them before his awakened conscience in their 
true colours ; which he no sooner discerns in the light 
of truth, than he says—* I acknowledge my trans- 


Po 


111 PROCESS OF A 8INNER’S CONVERSION, 81 


gressions, and my sin is ever before me ;”—but chiefly, 
I apprehend, by directing the sinner’s eye to Christ — 
to Christ on the cross, suffering for sin, and to Christ 
on the throne, exalted as a Prince and a Saviour,—for 
both in the humiliation and in the exaltation of Christ 
the sinner perceives, under the teaching of the Spirit, 
what is fitted powerfully to awaken his conscience,— 
insomuch that it may be safely affirmed, that it is by 
the Spirit's witness to Christ that he is first brought 
to see the magnitude of his guilt, and the certainty of 
his punishment as a transgressor, and, above all, the 
hopeless and wretched condition of his soul, so long 
as it has no interest in such a Saviour. By looking ” 
to Christ on the cross, ‘“‘he mourns and is in bitter- 
ness ;” by looking to Christ on the throne, he is 

‘“‘pricked in his heart, and exclaims, What must I 
do to be saved ?” ge 

It is thus that the Spirit of God, by closely apply- 
ing the truth to the conscience, bri ngs a sinner lo 
Jeel his need of a Saviour ; and the convictions which 
are thus produced are the first and strongest motives 
to serious inquiry and earnest prayer. And accord- 
ingly, you will generally observe, that when any per- 
son in a congregation is benefited by the ministry of 
the Gospel, the first intimation of this change consists 
in a deep seriousness of spirit, sometimes in great 
anxiety and even distress of mind, bordering on de- 
spair,—the reason of which is, that the Spirit of God 
is convincing that man of his sin and misery, and 
applying the truth closely to his conscience, so as to 
make him feel his need of a Saviour; and he is thus 


urbe 


82 GENERAL VIEW OF 


prepared for receiving with all cladness the simple mes- 
sage of grace, as suited to his need ;—whereas others who 
say that they are sinners, but without any spiritual per- 
ception of the meaning of this confession, easily succeed. 
in quieting their occasional convictions by the opiates of 
error and self-deceit, and sit for years under the same 
ministry without making a single step in advance 
towards salvation, and without being conscious of so 
much as one earnest desire for its attainment. Con- 
viction of sin, then, and especially conviction of sin 
and danger, on account. of unbelief in Christ, is a 
hopeful symptom—a necessary preparative—a com- 
mon precursor of a saving change. 

When a sinner is thus “convinced of his sin and 
misery,” so as to feel his need of a Saviour, the next 
part of the Spirit's work is “to enlighten his mind in 
the knowledge of Christ,” as being in all respects 
just such a Saviour as he needs. He may have had 
some knowledge of Christ before ; he may have been 
well instructed in his earliest years, and the doctrine 
of salvation may have been long familiar to his mind 3 
but that doctrine now assumes a new aspect, and is 
studied in a better spirit, when, under the influence 
of serious conviction, he is brought. to feel that his 
eternity depends upon it. Many parts of the glorious 
scheme of grace, which, till then, he had regarded as 
unimportant, or even objectionable, will now appear 
to his awakened eye to be invested with awful interest 
and transcendent value; and the more he contem- 
plates it, in connection with his own felt necessities, 
the more will he be convinced that it is in all respects 


THE PROCESS OF A SINNER’S CONVERSION 83 


suitable to his case, and contains neither more than 
was necessary to meet, nor less than is suffic’ent to 
secure, his everlasting welfare. Above all, the person, 
the character, the. offices, and the work of Curist, 
will command his deepest interest ; and as he medi- 
tates on these, and acquires new and more enlarged 
views of their glory, his heart will burn. within him 
at every fresh discovery of the power, and grace, and 
all-sufficiency.of the Saviour. The great work of the 
Spirit is to point the eye of a convinced sinner to 
Christ,—to open up to him the fulness that is in 
Christ,—to unfold his unsearchable riches,—to ex- 
plain the design of his mission, the constitution of his 
person, the variety of his offices, the nature and the 
perfection of his work, the certainty and glory of his 
reward, as our Redeemer; and to this part of the 
Spirit’s testimony for Christ allusion is made, both 
when it is said that he would reprove or convict the 
world of rzghteousness, because he has gone to the 
Father; and also when it is added that he would 
reprove the world of judgment, because the prince of 
this world is judged. The Spirit's advent was, in 
itself, a proof of Christ’s exaltation, and, as such, a 
proof of his righteousness and power, as a Prince and 
Saviour; and when he comes, the Spirit glorifies 
Christ, by revealing him to the awakened sinner as 
the “ Lord his righteousness” —a perfect and accepted 
“* propitiation”—‘“ a priest on his throne.” And one 
vivid view of Christ.as he is, imparted to the mind in 
the hour of private meditation or under the preaching 
of the Gospel, has been sufficient, in many a case, 


84 “4. GENERAL VIEW OF 


to dispel all the doubts and misgivings of a troubled 
conscience,—insomuch that the man has felt as if on 
a sudden his eyes had been opened on the light of 
day, or as if his conscience were relieved from a heavy 
burden, or as if his whole soul were at once enlarged, 
—liberated from bondage, and introduced into the glo- 
rious liberty wherewith Christ maketh his people free. 

And what is very remarkable, the very same truths 
may have been presented to his mind in former times 
without producing any effect. The truth is the same, 
but it appears to him in a new light. He has no 
occasion to alter a single article in his former creed, 
yet he feels as if he could say,—“ One thing I know, 
that whereas I was blind, now I see.” He-knew 
Christ before, as those knew him of whom it is said, 
that he was to them “ as a root out of a dry ground, 
having no form nor comeliness, nor any beauty where- 
fore they should desire him.” But now every word 
respecting Christ is sweet,—every aspect of his cha- 
racter, and office, and work, awakens interest,—every 
thing in Christ is precious, when, under the teaching 
of the Spirit, he is seen to be ‘“ the fairest among ten 
thousand, and altogether lovely.” And most sweetly 
and seasonably does this part of the Spirit’s work 
follow on the conviction of sin. Nor is it unnecessary 
even in the case of a convinced sinner; for all expe- 
rience shows, that when overwhelmed with the thought 
of his own sinfulness, he is prone to doubt or disbe- 
lieve the truth as it is in Jesus, or to put a legal con- 
struction on the Gospel, or to sink into utter dejection 
and despair, as if he at least could have no interest in 


THE PROCESS OF A SINNER’S CONVERSION. 85 
2 


the Gospel, and were too great a sinner to be saved. 
It belongs to the office of the Spirit to dispel these 
dark suspicions, and to correct these fatal misappre- 
hensions; and this he does, not by imparting any new 
information not revealed in the Bible, but by unfold- 
ing the truth which the Bible contains, and by simply 
“ enlightening the mind in the knowledge of Christ.” 

Another step remains. It is quite possible that a 
man may be, to a certain extent, convinced of his sin 
and misery, and that he may have acquired a consider- 
able degree of knowledge concerning Christ, and yet fall 
short of conversion. We read that ‘“ Felix trembled,” 
and of some ‘‘ who were once enlightened,” and yet fell 
away. Indeed, most men in a Christian country have 
their occasional convictions and fears, and have also 
some notional acquaintance with the doctrine of salva- 
tion; nay, they may seem to “ receive that doctrine with 
joy,” and yet refuse to undergo the great, the decisive, 
the saving change. The reason of this is—the inyve- 
terate depravity of the human heart, and its native 
aversion or enmity to God. The heart must be re- 
newed, and its enmity slain, before a thorough con- 
version is accomplished ; and the previous process of 
conviction and instruction is only a means to this end 
—a means suitable in itself, and sufficient, through 
the Spirit’s grace—but without it utterly ineffectual. 
Accordingly, the concluding part of the Spirit’s work 
in conversion, is, to “renew our wills,” or to make 
us milling to be saved by Christ on Gospel terms. 
It.is not enough to convince a man of his sin and 
misery ;—conyiction is not conyersion. Nor is it 


86 GENERAL VIEW OF 


enough to instruct him in the doctrine of the Gospel, 
—that doctrine might only inflame his enmity, and 
exasperate his pride. Conversion implies a change 
of heart. It may seem that the direct agency of the 
Spirit cannot be necessary here, since all men must 
be willing to be saved. But it is far, very far from 
being true that men are willing to be saved, in the 
Gospel sense of that expression. They are willing 
to escape from misery, simply considered as such, and 
to secure what they regard as happiness; but they 
are not anxious—on the contrary, they are ayerse— 
to be saved as the Gospel proposes to save them. 
They have no desire to be delivered from sin, and no 
relish for the spiritual happiness which Christ offers 
to bestow. Had the Gospel simply proclaimed im- 
punity for sin, or exemption from suffering, and that, 
live as they might, men should enjoy an eternal hap- 
pimess suited to their own tastes,—then, doubtless, it 
would have been hailed with one universal acclama- 
tion of gratitude and joy; but it makes no such over- 
ture. It speaks of a salvation from sin, as well as 
from suffering, and proposes a a heaven into which no- 
thing that is unclean or impure shall ever enter; and 
to say that all men are willing to be saved in that 
sense, and in this way, were to deny the depravity of 
human nature, and to affirm that all men are willing 
to be holy. The great difficulty, then, is, to make 
them willing to be saved, in the Bible sense of that 
expression, and in the way of God’s appointment; 
and this is effected by the Spirit’s g pape They are 
a willing ppeple i in the day of his power.’ 


THE PROCESS OF A SINNER’S CONVERSION. 87 


It is important to mark, that this is the last stage 
in the process, and the completion of the Spirit’s 
work, in converting a sinner. So soon as he is made 
willing, there remains no barrier betwixt him and the 
Saviour: he is at perfect liberty, on God's own war- 
rant and invitation, nay, by God’s express command, 
to “ embrace Jesus Christ as he is freely offered to 
him in the Gospel.’ Of every man who reads or 
hears the Gospel, it may be affirmed that there 1s 
nothing betwixt him and salvation, except his own 


unwillingness to be saved. “ Ye are not willing to 


come to me, that ye might have life,’—that is the 
Saviour’s charge and complaint. “ Whosoever will, let 
him take of the water of life freely,”’—that is the 
Saviour’s call-and invitation. The warrant of every 
sinner to believe in Christ to the saving of the soul 
is clear; it is written as with a sunbeam ‘in Scripture 3 
it lies wholly in the Word, which is the Spirit’s mes- 
sage, and not at all in the Spirit's witness in the 
heart. The warrant of the Word is ample ; but if any 
feel that, even with this warrant in his hand, there is 
something within which keeps him back—a depraved 
heart, a rebellious will, a reluctant spirit,—oh ! let 
him acknowledge his own helplessness, and cast him- 
self, with the simplicity of a little child, on the grace 
of the Spirit of God! 


Pe 88 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 
% 
2” we 
Pe ee Ke CHAPTER IV. 
Lay} eee 
; Vat Se % t:, 
' THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT IN ENLIGHTENING 
2 yee THE MIND. 


-Havine considered the general design of the gift of 
the Spirit, in reference both to the World and the 


Church, and described the course or process by which 
Se) 


bes 


> as 


¢ 
a J 


“a soul is translated from the kingdom of darkness into 
the kingdom of God’s dear Son ; I propose to illustrate 
separately, the various parts of the Spirit’s work, or 
his successive operations on the soul, from the time 
when it is first taken under his teaching, till it is made 
“* meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.” 

One of his most necessary operations, is that by 
which he conveys spiritual light into the understand- 
ing ; and to this part of his work—which is indeed 
so important, that it is often put for the whole—the 
apostle refers, when speaking of the Holy Ghost as 
‘the Spirit of wisdom and revelation,” he ‘prays that 
by the Spirit “the eyes of our understanding may be 
enlightened” (Eph. i. 17, 18), and when he describes 
true converts as having had their eyes opened, and 
haying been turned from darkness to light ; nay, tran- 
slated out of darkness into God’s marvellous light. 


IN ENLIGHTENING THE MIND. 89 


The illuminating work of the Holy Spirit may be 
said to be the groundwork of all his other operations ; 
for it is by the truth known and believed that the 
Spirit fulfils all the functions of his glorious office.* 
By enlightening the mind in the knowledge of PD, 


he lays a groundwork for the conviction of conscience — 


by enabling us to see the import and meaning of the — 
Gospel, he proposes motives for conversion ; by teach 


ing us right views of God and of ourselves, our pri- es 


vileges, and prospects, he supplies us with means of © 

comfort; by showing us the nature and necessity of 
Gospel holiness, he carries forward the work of sanc- 
tification ; by disclosing to us scriptural views of our 
spiritual necessities he calls forth the spirit of prayer ; 
and, generally he doth whatever he is wont to do, 
by means of the knowledge of the truth. -Hence it is 
important to give due consideration to this part of the 
Spirit’s work, that we may be prepared to understand, 
and rightly to improve, whatever we shall find revealed 


ie 
ak, 


me: 


ie 


a 7, 


ae: 


respecting his other operations on the soul. ai 


Such, indeed, is the inseparable connection, or rather — 


the real affinity of all the saving graces of the Spinit, 
that none of them can exist without being accom- 
panied or followed by all the rest; and hence any one 
of them may be used_to.signify the presence of all. } 


ie Tm 
—_—— 


Thus, knowledge, faith, repentance, and love are seve- 
rally spoken of in Scripture as either comprehending 


* On thisimportant subject, theauthor refers his readers to a Treatise 
by President Edwards, on “ The Reality of Spiritual Light.”—/Vorks, vol. 
viii. p.5. Professor Haliburton on “The Nature of Faith ;” and Dr. 
Owen’s Discourses on “ The Reason of Faith ;” and “ The Causes, &c, 
of Understanding the Word of God.” 


G 


- 


90 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


or implying every thing that is essential to a sinner’s 
salvation; and hence a full exposition of any one of 
these fruits of the Spirit might embrace a description 
of the whole of the Spirit’s work. It is not, then, 
with the view of separating betwixt. them, or assign- 
ing the precise order of their production, that we dis- 
tinguish one part of the Spirit’s work from another ; 
but rather with the view of unfolding it, in all the 
magnitude of its extent, and the variety of its aspects, 
as it is exhibited in the Gospel. 7 

The Holy Spirit is the enlightener of God’s people, 
and imparts spiritual illumination to their minds. 

This part of the Spirit’s.work implies a previous 
state of spiritual darkness on the part of those who 
are the subjects of it; and the natural state of all 
men is very frequently represented under the figures 
of darkness, blindness, and ignorance. They are 
described as “ walking in the vanity of their minds, 
having the understanding darkened, being alienated 
from the life of God through the ignorance that is in 
them, because of the blindness of their heart.” And 
again, * The natural man receiveth not the things of 
the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; 
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually 
discerned.” 

Here observe, that this spiritual darkness is wniver- 
sal,—it is affirmed of all the Gentiles, and we shall 
find that it is also affirmed of all the unbelieving Jews: 
it belongs to the “ natural man,” or to every man as 
he is by nature. It is not dispelled by those common 
notions of God and divine things, which an unrenewed 


IN ENLIGHTENING TILE MIND. 9} 


mind may acquire in the exercise of its own faculties. 
Nor is its prevailing power disproved by the existence 
of these notions, any more than the prevailing power 
of sin is disproved by the existence of some notions of 
the difference betwixt right and wrong. Nay, as in 
nature itself there is “ no darkness without a mixture 
of light’’**—such light as serves only to make “ the 
darkness visible,” so is it with the unrenewed soul— 
its common notions of God are not sufficient to dispel 
the darkness in which it is shrouded; and hence the 
apostle, in one place, declares, that when “ men knew 
God, they glorified him not as God ;” and, regarding 
this as a proof that there was some radical defect in 
their knowledge of him, he speaks of it elsewhere as 
sf it were no knowledge at all; for, says he, “ the 
world by wisdom knem noi God.” And may we not 
apply to these common notions, which have nothing 
*1 them of the true celestial light, the solemn remark 
of our Lord himself, “ If the light that is in thee be 
darkness, how great is that darkness !” This darkness 
does not consist merely in the absence of outward 
light, but in the * blindness of the mind”—such blind- 
ness as obstructs the entrance of the light, even when 
it is shining gloriously around us. Thus, of the 
unbelieving Jews it is said, that they remained in 
spiritual darkness with the revelation of God in their 
hands: “ But their minds were blinded; for until this 
day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the 
reading of the Old Testament ; which veil is done 
away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses 


* Howe, villi, 566. 


92 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless, 
when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken 
away.” (2 Cor. ili. 14—16.) A twofold veil is here 
spoken of—the one which covered the Old Testament, 
before the advent of Christ, by whom it was explained 
as well as fulfilled ; and the other which lay upon their 
own souls, and which prevented them from seeing, even 
when the first “ veil was done away in Christ.” And 
so, of multitudes who live in the full blaze of Gospel 
hight, it is said, that they remain inwardly in a state 
of spiritual darkness ; for “ if our Gospel be hid, it is 
hid to them that are lost: in whom the God of this 
world hath blinded the minds of them which believe 
not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who 
is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Cor. 
iv. 3, 4.) If this spiritual darkness be natural to all 
men, and if it may exist, notwithstanding the common 
notions of God and religion which they may acquire 
by their natural faculties, and notwithstanding the still 
higher instruction of the written Word; it follows, that 
it can only be removed by an inward operation on the 
mind itself, and this is expressly ascribed to the enlight- 
ening influence of his Spirit. « The Lord is that Spirit ; 
and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.” 
If we would “ with open or unveiled face behold the 
glory of the Lord,” it must be “ as by the Spirit of the 
Lord.” 

Accordingly, the change which is wrought in the 
mind at the time of its conversion is compared to a 
transition from darkness to light, or to the change of 
night into day. It is said of the Father, that “ he 


{N ENLIGHTENING THE MIND. 93 


hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and 
hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son,”— 
that “he hath called us out of darkness into his mar- 
vellous light ;” and of Christ, that he commissioned 
Paul “to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness 
to light, and from the power of Satan unto God:” but 
that this was not to be accomplished by mere human 
teaching, appears from that striking passage where 
God speaks of it as his own peculiar work, and inti- 
mates that it could be accomplished by no other than 
that creative power which, “‘ when the earth was 
without form and void, and darkness was upon the 
face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon 
the face of the waters”—spoke saying, ‘‘ Let there be 
light, and there was light ;” for says the apostle, 
“ God, who commanded the light to shine out of 
darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light 
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of 
Jesus Christ.” And then will the wondering disciple 
exclaim, “One thing I know, that whereas I was 
blind, now I see.” 

This great change is ascribed to the immediate 
agency of the Holy Spirit on the soul. It is ascribed, 
indeed, to the Father “as the fountain of lights, from 
whom cometh down every good and perfect gift ;’ and 
to the Son also, as the anointed Prophet of the 
Church, “the light of the world ;” but it is the Holy 
Spint, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, 
by whose immediate personal agency this illumination 
of the mind is wrought. Our Lord himself promised 
to send the Spirit as an Enlightener. “ When he, 


~~ 


94 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into 
alltruth.” ‘‘ He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of 
mine, and shall show it unto you.” ‘ The Comforter, 
which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send 
in my name, he shall ¢each you all things, and bring 
all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said 
unto you.” And*that this precious promise was not 
personal to the apostles, nor limited to the primitive 
Church, appears from the preceding context: “I will 
pray the Father, and he shall give you another Com- 
forter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the 
Spirit of truth ;’ by whose constant presence, and con- 
tinued grace in the Church, he fulfils that other pro- 
mise—‘“ Lo, J am with you alway, even unto the end 
of the world.” 

There are various distinct operations of the Holy 
Spirit as the Enlightener of the soul. (1.) As the 
revealer of the truth, by whom it was made known 
to the prophets, evangelists, and apostles,—for “ Holy 
men of old ‘spake as they were moved by the Holy 
Ghost.” “ God hath revealed them unto us by his 
Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the 
deep things of God.” (2.) As the Author of the 
Scriptures, inspiring the prophets, evangelists, and 
apostles, to write what should be preserved and re- 
corded for the conviction of the world, and the com- 
fort of the Church, in all ages,—for “all Scripture 
was given by his inspiration.” So that every indi- 
vidual stands indebted to the Holy Ghost for every 
ray of light that has ever beamed on his understand- 
ing from the page of Scripture. The Bible is the 


¢ se 
* ys 
: 


IN ENLIGHTENING THE MIND. 95 


Spirit’s message; it is the text-book which he has 
provided for the Church. (3.) But there is, and 
must be, a more direct operation of the Holy Spirit 
on every human soul that is enlightened by his 
truth. It is not enough that he has revealed the 
truth to his apostles, and that he has embodied and 
preserved it in an authentic Bible. The glorious light 
may shine around us, without shining zvto our hearts. 
There is a defective vision that must be cured—a 
blind eye that must be opened—a veil that must be 
taken away—a thick darkness within which must be 
dispelled by his creative mandate, *“* Let there be 
light.” Notwithstanding all the abundance of Gospel 
light, it is still true as it ever was, that ‘* the natural | 
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God ;” 
‘«‘ that no man knoweth the Son, but the Father ; nei- 
ther knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and 
he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him ;’ and that 
he is often pleased “ to hide these things from the wise 
and prudent, and to reveal them unto babes.” 

The Word of God is the instrument, the Spirit of 
God is the agent, in this great work of illumination. 
The Bibleis the text-book, but the Spirit is himself 
the teacher. He is not only the author of that book, 
but the interpreter of it also, who guides us into a 
knowledge of its truths. He puts the Bible into our 
hands, as a “ light unto our feet and a lamp unto our 
path ;” but, knowing that we are naturally blind, and 
cannot see afar off, he opens our eye and shines into 
our heart. All the truth which the Spirit ever teaches 
is in the Word; but never would it find entrance 


oF 


yw 


96 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


into our hearts unless he put it there. The Word is 
a sword—a sharp two-edged sword; but its efficacy 
depends on this—that it is the sword of the Spirit. 
The Word is a light; but it is “in his light we see 
light.” -“ The entrance of his Word giveth light ;” but 
it obtains entrance only when “he openeth the heart.” 
Hence the prayer of the Psalmist, “ Open thou mine 
eyes, that I may see wondrous things out of thy law ;” 
and the still more remarkable prayer of the apostle, 
“ For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, that he would grant you, ac- 
cording to the riches of his glory, to be sérengthened 
with might by his Spirit in the inner man.” Here is 
a powerful work of the Spirit on the soul; it must be 
strengthened with might,—and for what end? “ That 
ye may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is 
the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and 
to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, 
that ye may be filled with all the fulness of God.” 
Here no new truth is sajd to be revealed; but what 
is contained in the Word is made known by the in- 
ward enlightening of the Holy Spirit. 

On the teaching of the Spirit the efficacy of all the 
means of grace depends, and especially the efficacy of 
the reading and preaching of the Word. Without 
the Spirit, the ministry of the Word would be utterly 
fruitless for all the ends of saving conversion. It 
might be a social blessing, as a means of keeping 
alive a sense of common morality in the world, but 
never could it be the means of spiritual life to the 
soul, unless it were accompanied with the enlightening 


IN ENLIGHTENING: THE MIND. 97 


grace of the Spirit. What more powerful than the 
ministry of the apostles ? what reasoning more vigo- 
rous,—what appeals more overwhelming,—what elo- 
quence more lofty,—what zeal more urgent than those 
of Paul? What love so tender, what tenderness so 
pathetic, what pathos so touching, what unction so 
rich and sweet, as those of John? What sacred orator 
better furnished for his vocation than Apollos, of whom 
it is written, that “he was an eloquent man, and 
mighty in the Scriptures?” Yet even the ministry 
of inspired men, the preaching of the very apostles of 
Christ, depended for all its saving efficacy on the 
grace of the Spirit; for, says the apostle, “Who 
then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by 
whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every 
man? I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave 
the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any 
thing, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth 
the increase.” ‘Weare labourers together with God ; 
but ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” 
Ministers are often employed as tnmsiruments in en- 
lightening and converting the soul; and hence they 
may be said, ministerially, to be the spiritual fathers 
of their converts. Yet it is not by their own power, 
but by the power of the Holy Ghost ; so that every 
successful minister might well say with the apostles, 
«Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why 
look ye so earnestly upon us, as though by our own 
power or holiness we had made this man to walk ?” 
This great truth, if it shows the weakness of the 
minister, will also prove the very strength of his 


98 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


ministry ; for never will he feel so deeply impressed 
either with the greatness of his work, or the dignity 
of his mission, as when he is most thoroughly con- 
vinced that the efficacy of all his preaching depends 
on the power of the Spirit. This will nerve him with 
new strength, and inspire him with new hope, when 
all outward appearances are most unpromising ; and 
in the strength of this simple faith, he will stand pre- 
pared to deliver his message, before any audience, 
savage or civilized, assured that the same Spirit. who 
has brought the truth home to his own soul, can also 
bring it home, with demonstration and power, both to 
the obtuse and unlettered peasant, and to the refined, 
perhaps the sceptical, or the scornful man of science, 
Further, the Word, the ministry, and other means of 
instruction, are adapted to the rational nature of man, 
and are in their own nature fitted for the purpose for 
which they are employed ; nay, men may, in the use 
of their natural faculties, be instructed, impressed, 
and affected by the reading and hearing of the Word ; 
but they cannot be savingly enlightened without the 
teaching of the Spirit. ' Se oe 
The Spirit’s operations are adapted to the nature of 
man, as a rational and intelligent being; andheworks - 
in and by the faculties of the soul. Jt isthe same mind. 
which is now in darkness that is to be translated into 
marvellous light ; the same understanding which is 
now ignorant that is to be informed; the same eye 
which is now blind that is to be opened and enabled — 
_ tosee.—The Spirit usually exerts his power by the 
use of appropriate means. Omitting from our present 


* 


IN ENLIGHTENING THE MIND. . 99 


consideration the case of infants, who may. be sanctified 
from the womb by the secret operations of the Spirit, 
it is clear that, in the case of adults, the mind is en- 
lightened instrumentally by the truth, which is hence 
called “the light of the glorious Gospel,’ and the 
“« day-star which rises on the heart.” The Word of 
God is an appropriate means of enlightening the 
mind; it is an instrument which is in every respect 
fitted for the purpose for which it is employed. (1 Tim. 
ui. 14.) Ifany remain in darkness with the Bible in 
their hands, it is not because there is no light in the 
Bible, but because there is no spiritual eye to discern | 
it. All the truth which an enlightened believer ever 
learns under the teaching of the Spint, is really con- 
tained in the Bible, although heretofore he had not 
seen it there; nay, much of it may have been con- 
tained in the articles of his professed creed; but it 
was not known, understood, and believed in its full 
spiritual meaning as it is now. He is only brought, 
in many cases, to see what he formerly professed to 
believe in a new light, so as to understand and feel 
its spiritual import and power, asthe truth of God. _ 
Being an appropriate means, adapted to the faculties 


of the human mind, there can be no reason to doubt 


that the Bible, like any other book, may convey much 
instruction to an unrenewed man. When.it is affirm- 
ed that a natural man cannot know the things of the 


Spirit of God, it is not implied that the Bible is unin- 


had 


telligibly written, or that he cannot understand the 
sense and meaning of scriptural propositions, so as to — 
be able'to give a rational account of them; for he may 


100 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


investigate the literal meaning of Scripture, and, in 
doing so, may attach a definite idea to many of its 
statements—amay be able to see their mutual relations 
—to reason upon them, and even to expound them; 
and yet, in the scriptural sense, he may be in dark- 
ness notwithstanding. There are truths in the Bible 
which admit of being recognised,and even proved by 
natural reason, “ for the things of a man may be 
known by the spirit of man which is in him; and 
even “ the things of the Spirit,” when revealed, may 
be so far understood as to affect and impress the 
mind which is nevertheless unconverted. The Pha- 
risees had ‘“ the form of knowledge in the law;” they 
were the great theologians under the Old Testament. 
Yet our Lord declares, that, studious and instructed 
as they were, and capable of expounding the writings 
of Moses, they did not really know. God, nor under- 
stand the writings of Moses. Simon Magus must 
have had some correct notional acquaintance with the 
leading truths of the Gospel, and must have been able to 
put them forth in intelligible propositions, when he made 
that profession of faith which the apostles themselves 
regarded as a sufficient ground for his admission to 
the sacrament of baptism. Yet he had not been 
spiritually enlightened, for ‘‘ he was still in the gall of 
bitterness and the bond of iniquity.” So our Lord 
himself speaks of some who hear the Word, and anon 
with joy receive it. They not only have some notion 
of its meaning, but some impressions of its power ; 
yet they have not the “ light of life.” They are like 
Herod, ‘“‘ who feared John, knowing that he was a just 


¥: ie ~ 
, bet 
on % 
4 
IN ENLIGHTENING THE MIND. 101 


-man and an holy, and observed him ; and when he 
heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.” 
There is a great difference betwixt the views even of 
natural men on the subject of divine truth,—a dif- 
ference which is strikingly exemplified by the very 
different language of the three Roman governors— 
Festus, Agrippa, and Felix, in reference to the preach- 
ing of Paul. Festus spoke out in the bold language 
of a natural man, to whom the preaching of the Gos- 
pel was foolishness: ‘* Paul, thou art beside thyself: 
much learning doth make thee mad.” Agrippa was 
impressed and moved, for he said, “ Almost thou per- 
suadest me to be a Christian ;” and Felix was still 
more deeply moved, for, “ as Paul reasoned of righte- 
ousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix 
trembled.” The natural man, then, may know some- 
thing of divine truth,—he may even be impressed 
and affected by it, without acquiring that saving 
knowledge which our Lord himself declares to be — 
« eternal life.” 

The natural man is capable of acquiring, by the use 
of his rational faculties, such an acquaintance with the 
truths of God’s Word as is sufficient to make him 
responsible for his treatment of it. Not to enlarge 
upon other points, let us take the doctrine which 
affirms the darkness of the human understanding, and 
the necessity of the enlightening grace of the Holy 
Spirit, which is often supposed to destroy the grounds 
of human responsibility in this respect ; unless he be 

taught of God, he cannot have such an experimental 
knowledge of that doctrine as belongs to the exercised 


THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


believer, and probably he will not submit to it; but 
it is stated, nevertheless, in plain intelligible language 
—he cannot read his Bible without being made aware 
that it contains this truth, nor can he exercise his 
understanding upon it, without acquiring some gene- 
ral knowledge of its import; and that knowledge 
although neither spiritual nor saving, is amply. suffi- 
cient as a ground of mora obligation. And farther, 
he may also learn from the same source, and in the 
same way, how it is that the enlightening grace of the 
Spirit is obtained, for he cannot read such passages as 
these: “ If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, 
who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, 
and it shall be given him;” and “ If ye, being evil, 
know how to give good gifts unto your children, how 
much more will your Father in heaven give the 
Holy Spirit to them that ask him ;’—he cannot read 
such passages as these without forming some notion 
of prayer as the means by which his natural darkness 
may be dispelled; and if, notwithstanding his clear 
natural perception of such doctrines, he either refuses 
to believe them, or persists in neglecting prayer for 
the Holy Spirit—he must be dealt with hereafter on 
avery different principle, and tried by a very different 
rule of judgment from that which alone is applicable 
to those who have no Bible to teach them, or no 
rational mind to be taught. You cannot have sat 
under a Gospel ministry for years without acquiring 
such knowledge as is abundantly sufficient to lay you 
under the most weighty responsibilities. It isasolemn 
reflection, that this knowledge must either prove “the 


ey 
> - wen % 
% ae 
~s 
IN ENLIGHTENING THE MIND. 103 


savour of life unto life,” or ‘ the savour of death unto 
death.” If it be not the means of your conversion, it 
will be the ground of your condemnation, * For this 
is the condemnation, that light hath come into the 
world, and that men have loved darkness rather than 
light, because their deeds were evil. But he that 
loveth the light, cometh to the light ;” and he that 
loveth the light of the Gospel, will not shrink from the | 
enlightening work of the Spirit. | 

Still, it must ever be remembered, that whatever 
knowledge a natural man may acquire by the eXeIcise 
of his rational faculties on the Word of God, that - 
knowledge is neither spiritual nor saving, unless he 
be enlightened by the Spirit. Were [ asked to state “ 
what is the specific difference betwixt the natural 
and the spiritual knowledge of divine truth, or how 
they may best be distinguished from each other, I 
should feel the difficulty that.is usually attendant 
on a discrimination betwixt two states of mind, 
which have some common resemblance, and whose 
difference consists in a quality of which-the natural *) 
man knows nothing, because he has no experience 
of it. As it is difficult to convey an idea of colour 
to the blind, or of music to the deaf, so it is diffi- 
cult to describe to a natural man the peculiar percep- 
tions of one whose eyes have been opened by the 
Spirit,—and_ the difficulty is not diminished but In- 
creased by the fact, that he has a kind of knowledge 
which is common to him with the true believer, and 
which is too apt to be wnistaken for that which the 
Gospel requires. Perhaps the nearest approach that 


104 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


_ we can make to an explanation, may be, by asking 
‘you to conceive of a man who sees, but has no sense 
of beauty, or of a man who hears, but has no sense of 
harmony ; just such is the case of a natural man, who 
sees the truth without perceiving its spiritual excel- 
lence, and on whose ear the sound of the Gospel falls 
without awakening music in his soul, Saving know- 
ledge is not a knowledge of the dead letter or out- 
ward form of the Gospel, but a knowledge of the 
truth in “the light, and lustre, and glory of it;” a 
‘* pustful knowledge,”* which has in it a relish of the 
truth as excellent: ‘* O taste and see that the Lord is 
good.” It is “ the light of the knowledge of the glory 
of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Just conceive 
of the different views of Christ which were entertain- 
ed by those with whom he mingled in Judea, and 
this will help you to understand the difference, or at 
least to see that there is one, betwixt the one kind 
of knowledge and the other. All the Jews who saw 
Christ had some views concerning him; but to the 
carnal eye “ he had no form nor comeliness; and when 
they saw him, there was no beauty that they should 
desire him ;” while to the spiritual eye, he was “ fairer 
than ten thousand, and altogether lovely ;” for, says 
the apostle, “* He dwelt amongst us, and we beheld his 
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, 
full of grace and truth.” And just as it was then, so 
is it now: as Christ, the sum and substance of the 
Gospel, came as the light, “ and the darkness compre- 
hended it not,”—as ‘“ he was in the world, and the 


® Professor Haltburton. 


IN ENLIGHTENING THE MIND. 105 


world was made by him, and the world knew him 
not ;’ so the Gospel, which is Christ revealed, may be 
read and heard,—yet ‘“‘ seeing we may not perceive, 
and hearing we may not understand,” until the aoe 
‘take of the things of Christ and show them unto us,” 
by “shining into our hearts.” 

Another difference betwixt the two kinds of know- 
ledge, consists in this, that true spiritual light carries 
with it a self-evidencing power, and is accompanied 
with a heartfelt conviction of its certamty—a cordial 
belief of its truth. When the eye is opened to see 
the glory of the Gospel, the mind has an intuitive 
perception of its divine authority—it “ commends itself 
to the conscience in the sight of God,” and the sinner 
feels that “ God is in it of a truth.” God has mag- 
nified his Word above all his name ;” it bears upon it 
a more striking impress of his divine perfections than 
any other manifestation by which he has ever made 
himself known: and when the eye is opened to per- 
ceive God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ, the mind 
can no more believe that the Word could be written, 
than that the world could be framed, by any other 
than the omniscient One. 

But the great discriminating test of the difference 
betwixt the natural and spiritual knowledge of divine 
truth, is to be found in its practical influence and 
actual fruits. Spiritual light is accompanied with life 
and love,—it is vital and powerful, transforming, re- 
newing, purifying the soul in which it dwells ; for if 
we behold the glory of God, we are thereby changed 


into the same image; we love what we discern to be 
H 


106 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


good, we admire what we perceive to be excellent, we 
‘imitate and become conforreed to what we love and 
admire ;—it is not a cold light like that of the moon 
or stars, but a lively light, accompanied with heat 


and warmth—vivifying, fructifying ; it attunes all the . 


faculties of the soul for the service of God, like the 
light that fell on the statue of Memnon, and awoke 
the chords of his sleeping lyre. ; 
The difference betwixt the natural and spiritual 
knowledge of divine truth, is not only real but great, 
It is as the difference betwixt darkness and light, or 
betwixt night and day. Every natural man, however 
educated, is “alienated from the life of God through 
the ignorance that is inhim.” He may be more learn- 
ed in the letter of the Scriptures, more thoroughly 
furnished with all literary erudition, more scientific in 
his dogmatic orthodoxy, more eloquent in illustration 
and argument, than many of these who are “ taught 
of God; but “I say unto you, he that is least in 
the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” It is not 
\ a difference in degree, but in kind. In that which 
is common to both, the natural man may have a 
higher degree of learning than the spiritual; but in 
that which is peculiar to such as are taught of God, 
there is no room for comparison ;—that kind of know- 
ledge, although it, too, admits of degrees.as it is pos- 
sessed by the people of God, belongs to none else—to 
none but such as are taught by his Spirit. And this 
difference is great, insomuch that the people of God, 
whose eyes are opened to understand the Seriptures, 
are said to have “a new understanding given to them” 
—‘ the Son of God is come, and hath given us an 


2 


oy 
% 


IN ENLIGHTENING THE MIND. 107 


understanding that we may know him that is true ;” 
not that another faculty is created, but that the old one 
is thoroughly renewed. And this change is wrought 
on the understanding itself. It is not enough that the 
affections: be disengaged from sin, so as to remove 
obstructions to the right operation of a mind supposed 
to be in itself “ pure, noble, and untainted ;’”’ no, the 
understanding has shared in the ruins of the fall, and is 
itself perverted ; and as such it must be renewed by 
Him who created it, otherwise it will for ever distort 
the light, however clearly it may shine from the page 
of Scripture. 

As the understanding is the leading faculty of the 
soul, and plainly designed to influence, control, and 
govern every other by its light ; so darkness here is the 
prolific cause of much moral and spiritual evil. The 
understanding, therefore, must be enlightened, if the 
heart is to be renewed. Spiritual darkness is spoken 
of in Scripture,—not as a mere passive or negative 
thing, but as a posilive power ;—-“ the power of dark- 
ness’ is expressly mentioned, and the apostate angels 
are represented as kept in “ chains of darkness,” as if it 
imposed fetters on the soul; and truly none can break 
those fetters, but He who caused the iron chain to fall 
from off the hands and feet of his imprisoned disciple. 

Our apostasy from God is described as consisting 
chiefly in our spiritual darkness. The very end of 
our being was, that we should “ glorify God,” as. in- 
telligent creatures might and ought, by perceiving, 
adoring, and delighting in his glory: this is the 
highest exercise of angels and seraphim. And if now 


, 


* 


108 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


a dark cloud conceals from us his perfections—if we 
can have God present to our thoughts without per- 
ceiving his glory, this is at once the evidence and eés- 
sence of our melancholy fall. 

This darkness is not only the deadly shade under 
which our enmity to God finds a shelter and covering, 
but it is in some-sense the cause of that enmity, imas- 
much as it gives rise to innumerable prejudices against 
God, which feed it and keep it alive, and also to 
multiform delusions, varying from the barest atheism 
up to the most awful forms of superstition ; and if 
these prejudices and these delusions are to be swept 
away, and ifthe enmity which they beget and nourish 
is to be slain, it must be by Him who commanded 
the light to shine out of darkness, shining into our 
hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the 
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 

This illumination of the Spirit has reference to all 
Gospel truth, but is given in greater or less degrees, 
while in every instance it embraces whatever is neces- 
sary to be known and believed in order to salvation. 
“ Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye 
know all things.” “ The anointing which ye have 
received of him abideth in you; and ye need not that 
any man teach you: but as the same anointing teach- 
eth you of all things, and is truth, and is no hie, and 
even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.’ 
From these words it is plain, that every one who is 
taught of God, knows whatever is necessary to be 
believed in order to salvation, and that he is not left 
absolutely to depend on mere human teaching ; but it 


IN ENLIGHTENING THE MIND. 109 


is equally clear from the context, that this anointing 
does not supersede the use of such helps, and such 
means of information as God has graciously provided 
for his Church; on the contrary, the same apostle says, 
“[ write unto you fathers, because ye have known 
him that is from the beginning; I write unto-you 
little children, because ye have known the Father ;” - 
* [ have not written unto you because ye know not 
the truth, but because ye know it.” ‘The apostle’s 
letter was designed and fitted for their instruction, 
and was useful, not only in “ stirring up their pure 
minds by way of remembrance,” but also in helping 
them to apply the truth to the exigencies of their con- 
dition, as one that exposed them to the seductions of 
false teachers, and in enabling them to grow in the 
knowledge of God; for among Christians there are 
degrees of spiritual light, as among natural men there 
are degrees of secular knowledge; and the one kind 
of knowledge admits of growth and increase, and 
depends on the use of ordinary means, not less than 
the other. We may know the Lord, like Apollos ; yet 
we may be brought, like him, to * know the way of 
the Lord more perfectly.” As the knowledge which 
is common to all who are taught of God embraces 
whatever is necessary to be known and believed in 
order to salvation, while being imparted in greater or 
less degrees, there may be a diversity of opinion even 
amongst true Christians on points of minor impor- 
tance, we see at once the origin and the nature of 
that wonderful uniformity of sentiment amongst them 
which marks the unity of Christian faith, in regard to 


110 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


all the fundamental truths of God’s Word, while we 
may reasonably expect to find a variety of opinions, 
arising from different degrees of light, even amongst 
such as are in the main and substantially at one. 
And this consideration ought to be improved as a 
lesson of universal charity and of mutual forbearance 
among the disciples of Christ.* 

It is.a precious Bible truth, that the enlightening 
grace of the Holy Spirit, although it be specially pro- 
mised to the Gospel ministry as that by which alone 
their peculiar functions can be successfully exercised, 
is not confined to them, nor to any one class or order of 
men, but is common to all believers. Every private 
person—every humble man, who takes his Bible in 
his hand, and retires to his closet to read and meditate 
on it there, is privileged to ask and to expect the 
teaching of the Spirit of God. “ If any man lack 
wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men 
liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given 
him.” The direct communication of every soul with 
God as “ the Father. of lights,” with Christ as “ the 
light of the world,” and with the Holy Ghost as “ the 
Spirit of truth,” shows what standing the Christian 
people have in the Christian Church; and that, al- 
though God has graciously provided for them minis- 
terial helps and spiritual guides, he has not left them 
absolutely dependent on any order of men,—siill less 
has he subjected them to mere human authority in 
matters of faith: “ their faith must stand not in the 
wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” 

* Love’s Letters, p. 318. 


bs od 
?- 


IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE. lil 


CHAPTER V. 


THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT. IN CONVINCING 
THE CONSCIENCE. 


Ir is part of the Spirit’s work to convince the soul 
of its sinfulness. : 

I, There is, indeed, a conscience in man, which 
fulfils alike the functions of a law, by prescribing the 
path of duty,—and the functions of a judge, in pro- 
nouncing sentence against transgression,—a conscience 
which impresses every man with ‘a sense of right and 
wrong, and which often visits the sinner with the 
inward pangs ‘of conviction and remorse. 

But conscience, while it exists, and while it serves 
many useful purposes, is not sufficient in its present 
state to awaken the soul to a full sense of its real 
condition, although it be amply sufficient to render it 
responsible to God as a Judge, and to make it a fit 
subject for the convincing operations of his Spirit. 

That in its present state it is not sufficient of itself, 
nor eyen when it is surrounded with the outward light 
of the Gospel, to awaken the soul to a due sense of 
its own sinfulness, appears from various considera- 


ee 


112 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


tions:—It is manifest that conscience has shared, 
like every other faculty of our nature, in the ruinous 
effects of the fall; and the natural darkness of the 
soul prevents it from seeing its own corruption. It 
must be so, indeed, if by the fall we have lost the per- 
ception of God’s glory, or can no longer discern the 
excellency of his holiness; for our views of sin stand 
connected with, and must be affected by our views of 
God; one vivid view of his glorious character being 
sufficient to make the sinner tremble at the sight of 
his‘own vileness, and to exclaim with Job, “I have 
heard of thee by the hearing of the ear ; but now mine 
eye seeth thee: wherefore I abhor myself, and repent 
in dust and ashes.” Inas far, then, as the fall has 
“alienated us from the life of God through the igno- 
rance that was in us, because of the blindness of our 
hearts,” in the same proportion must it have weakened 
that power of moral perception, or that principle of 
conscience which should convince the soul of its own 
sinfulness ; and never, till it is restored to a spiritual 
acquaintance with God, will it come to see its guilt 
in all its loathsomeness and aggravations. 2. That 
natural conscience, unaided by the Spirit of God, is 
not sufficient of itself to bring a man to a right sense 
of his own sinfulness appears farther from the ten- 
dency of habitual sin to sear and deaden the con- 
science, whereby it comes to pass, according to the 
sovereign appointment of God, that conscience .be- 
comes weaker, in proportion as sin grows stronger in 
the soul, till the sinner may arrive at a point of 
degeneracy at which he is wholly given over to a 


IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE. 113 


reprobate mind, and so far from being condemned by 
his conscience, he may dare to justify his wickedness 
by “ calling good evil and evil good,”—instead of 
being ashamed of his guilt, he may even “ glory in his 
shame.” We read of some whose “ mind and con- 
science is defiled ;” and of others “ having their con- 
science seared with a hot iron,’—the habitual practice 
of sin having a-deadening influence over that principle 
by which alone sin is checked or condemned. This 
natural provision is in accordance with the great law 
of moral retribution which is laid down in Scripture— 
a law which insures the progressive improvement. of 
those who make a right use of the imperfect light 
they have, and the rapid degeneracy of those who cor- 
rupt or abuse it; “for whosoever hath, tohim shall 
be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be 
taken even that which he seemeth to have” (or think- 
eth that he hath). Now, if this be the natural law of 
conscience, that its moral perceptions become dead, 
and its condemning power weak in proportion as the 
power of sin becomes habitual and inveterate ; it fol- 
lows, that the more need there is for a thorough work 
of conviction, the less is it to be expected from the mere 
operation of natural conscience; and that, if the Spirit 
of God do not interpose, the case of such a soul is hope- 
less. But lest it should be thought that this second 
proof applies only to the case of gross and hardened 
transgressors of the divine law, let me observe farther, 
—3. That the experience of the more decent members 
of society, and even of many formal members of the 
Church, affords ample evidence that natural con- 


114 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


science, unenlightened by the Spirit of God, is not 
sufficient to convince the. soul of its sinfulness; for 
of many such it may be said with truth, that they 
have no just idea of szz as, in its own nature, and in 
all its manifestations, an odious and hateful thing. 
Natural conscience in such men takes cognizance 
chiefly of gross outward transgressions, and of these, 
too, mainly as they stand connected with the peace 
and order of society, or with the decencies and pro- 
prieties of social life, —it is a mere prudential reason ; 
but of sin as it appears in the sight of God, it thinks 
little, and still less of those heart-sins, and that radi- 
eal. depravity from which all actual transgressions 
proceed. It condemns murder,—but does it equally 
condemn pride? It condemns filial ingratitude and 
disobedience to an earthly parent,—but does it equally 
condemn ungodliness, which is the natural element of 
every unrenewed mind, and which implies filial in- 
gratitude and disobedience to our Father in heaven? 
How can it discern the inherent turpitude of sin, 
unless it be taught the inherent loveliness of what is 
spiritual and divine? and whence can this be learned, 
but from the teaching of the Spirit? In fact, the work 
of conviction implies a work of illumination, and is 
based upon it. It is by enlightening the mind to 
discern the truth, that the Spirit quickens the con- 
science; and so long as the mind remains in dark- 
ness, the conscience is prone to sleep. It is when 
the light of God shines into the heart that his vice- 
gerent there starts from his slumbers, and lifts a re- 
sponsive voice to the call of his Master. And hence 


IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE. 115 


it is that we read of an enlightened conscience—a - 


conscience that pronounces truly when it is rightly 
informed, 

4. The necessity of a convincing work of the Spirit 
farther appears, from the fact, that it is the most diffi- 
cult of all things to fix the mind of any man on a due 
consideration of sin. Try to fix your own mind for 
any length of time on a steady consideration of sin, or 
endeavour to fix the mind of any child, or servant, or 
friend you have on this exercise, and you. will at once 
find that it is al! but impossible to succeed, The 
mind recoils from it. It will dwell on the sing of 
others, especially if they have provoked its resentment 
by a sense of wrong done to itself ;, but on sin in its 
own nature, and especially on its own sins, it cannot 
dwell—it flies off to some other and more inviting 
subject; or, instead of seeking to know the real state 
of the case, it busies itself in devising plausible excuses, 
and in putting blinds, as it were, on its own eyes. 
And so is it even when the subject is forced on its 
attention, and the ear is compelled to listen to a full 
exposition of it ;—the most searching sermon fails to 


convince, unless it be carried home with demonstra- © 


tion of the Spirit and with power. How. often does 
the sinner hear that ‘“ every sin deserveth the wrath 
and curse of God,’—that it is “an abominable thing 
which the Lord -hateth,”—that it is a-“ great wick- 
edness’—a loathsome disease—a hell-deserving crime ; 
and yet, either attaching no definite meaning to 
the plainest language that can be employed, or 
shifting the charge away from himself to others, or 


116 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


inwardly deceiving himself by some plausible pretext 
or other, he sits unawed, unmoved, and rises and 
retires to his home without one salutary conviction on 
his conscience—without one impression deep enough 
to trouble his peace. And hence the free proclama- 
tion of a free salvation passes unheeded, because as 
yet he feels no need of a Saviour, and has no concern 
for his soul. If any sinner, then, is to be brought 
to such real heart concern about the state of his soul 
as is necessary for his thorough conversion, he must 
be convinced of: sin by a power above that of mere 
natural conscience,—even by the power of the Spirit 
of God. 

If. In convincing of sin, the Spirit of God, acting 
agreeably to the moral constitution of our nature, 
takes the conscience as the subject of his operations, 
and seeks to enlighten; quicken, and invigorate it by 
the light and power of divine éruth. 

It is the conscience that is the subject of his opera- 
tion. It is the moral faculty—the faculty of discri- 
minating betwixt right and wrong, which makes us fit 
subjects for the convincing work of the Spirit. Had 
we no conscience, we should be incapable of moral 
convictions—as are the living but irresponsible beasts 
of the field, and fowls of the air. But under the 
ashes of our ruined nature, there are certain “ sparks 
of celestial fire,” the lights of conscience, which, dim 
and decayed, are yet not extinguished ; and which 
render us responsible on the one hand, and susceptible 
of being renewed on the other. And just as natural 
reason is capable of discerning spiritual things when 


? 


IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE. 117 


it is enlightened by the Spirit; so natural conscience 
is capable of discerning the evil of sin, when it is 
rectified and strengthened by the Spirit. 

But while conscience is the subject of true con- 
viction, the Spirit of God is the author of it. He 
works in and by the conscience; so that, while the 
Spirit reproves and convicts the sinner, the sinner 1s 
self-reproved and self-condemned. The conscience 
is quickened by the Spirit out of that lethargy into 
which it had fallen, through the benumbing influence 
of sin; it is invigorated and reinforced with new 
energy by the Spirit, having fresh life and power 
infused into it ; it is called into action on its appro- 
priate objects by the Spirit, and enabled steadily to 
view the sins with which the transgressor is charge- 
able ; and above all, it is enlightened by the Spirit, 
so as to discern sin in the light of truth. Thus con- 
science, once darkened, and inert, and powerless, 


acquires prodigious energy, and becomes one of the 


most active and powerful principles of the soul; pre- 
scribing the law, and pronouncing the sentence of 
judgment in that inner chamber of judicature from 
which there lies no appeal, but to God himself. Con- 
science, once awakened by a ray of spiritual light, is 
an awful thing ; and what tremendous power it may 
acquire, when it is quickened by the Spirit, may be 
inferred from the energy which it puts forth when it 
is called into action by the reproofs of mere human 
faithfulness. Let a man commit a secret sin, and so 
long as no human eye was supposed to be privy to his 
guilt, he may contrive to lull his conscience to sleep ; 


\ 


x 


118 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


but let a friend charge him with the fact, or even hint 
a suspicion of it, and the mantling cheek, the agitated 
look, the trembling frame, will at once evince how 
one’s conscience may be quickened into tremendous 
action by a ray of light passing to it from another 
mind ; and, successful as he may have been in quell- 
ing his own remorseful thoughts, by devising pallia- 
tions of his guilt, he will no longer attempt to deny 


- the sinfulness of the fact, but try to disprove the fact 


itself, as the only possible way of escaping from the 
sure decision of another man’s conscience on his case. 
This instructive and familiar example shows that all 
along corscience is alive in the sinner’s breast—not 
dead, but asleep, and how easily it may be awakened 
into vigorous conviction by a single ray of heaven’s 
light piercing through the veil of nature’s darkness, 
by the power of the Spirit of Ged. 

The Spirit of God thus quickens the conscience 
by the light and power of divine truth. ‘The truth 
is the instrument by which this change is wrought. 
He reproves by enlightening. He reaches the con- 
science through the medium of the understanding. 
It is not a mere physical change, or a change wrought 
out in a way that is contrary to the laws of our moral 
nature; but a moral change accomplished by moral 
means, adapted to that nature, and fitted for the pur- 
pose for which they are employed. He finds. entrance 
for the light of truth, and the conscience once enllig ht- 
ened acts its appropriate part, ae ae it sun 
erring sentence. ey, 

The truths of God’s Word are the means of con- 


ws 


IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE. 119 


viction, and almost every one of these truths may be 
employed for this end. The principal means of con- 
viction is the daw—the law of God in its purity, 
spirituality, ae power; for “ by the law is the know- 
ledge of sin,” and “ the law is our schoolmaster to 
tring us to Christ.” The law in its holy command- 
ment—the law in its awful curse—the law i in its spiri- 


tual nature, as reaching to the heart, and in all its 


length and breadth as extending over every depari- 
ment of human life—the law in its condemning power, 
whereby “every mouth must be stopt, and all the 
world must become guilty before God ;’—this law is 
unfolded to the understanding, and applied to the 
conscience by the Holy Spirit, and immediately, by its 
own self-evidencing light, it convinces the conscience 
is constrained to do homage to the law, and to ac- 
knowledge that “ the law is holy, and the command- 
ment holy, and just, and good ;” while self-convicted 
and self-condemned, the sinner exclaims, “ But I am 
carnal, sold under sin.” And yet it is not a new law, 
nor one of which the sinner had heretofore been en- 
tirely ignorant, that becomes the means of his convic- 
tion; he may have read and repeated the Ten Com- 
mandments a hundred times, and may be familiar 
with the letter of God’s requirements, and yet some 
one of these very commandments may now become 
as an arrow in his conscience—the very sword of the 
Spirit. A notional acquaintance with the law is one 
thing—a spiritual experience of its power is ancther. 
Witness the case of the Apostle Paul—an educated 
man, brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, walking from 


t 


ang 


120 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT — 


his youth upwards, according to the straitest sect of 
‘the law, a Pharisee; who can doubt that he was 


familiar with the letter of God’s law? yet, being ~ 


destitute of any spiritual experience of its power, he 
regarded himself as having been without any due 
knowledge of the law, till he was taught by the Spirit 
of God ; for says he, “I was alive without the law 
once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, 
and I died.” Previously he had only that notional 
and common knowledge which he elsewhere describes 
as “the form of knowledge, and of the truth in the 
Jaw.” And what was it that converted the form 
into substance? it was one of those very command- 
ments which he had often read and repeated, without 
perceiving its spiritual import, or feeling its convinc- 


ing power. ‘1 had not known sin but by the law, 
for I had not known lust, except the law had said, 


Thou shalt not covet.” He seizes the Tenth Com- 
mandment—a commandment which directly refers to 
the state of a man’s heart: and finding that his heart 
cannot stand the test of a Jaw so pure and spiritual, 
he is inwardly convinced of sin as well as made con- 
scious of its power; and so every sinner who obtains 
a glimpse of the real nature of the divine law, which, 
like its heart-searching Author, is heart-searching too, 
must on the instant feel, that if this law be the rule 
of judgment, then, by the deeds of the law shall no 
flesh living be justified; for “all have sinned and 
come short of the glory of God.” 

But when it is said that the law is the principal 
means by which the Spirit of God convinces the con- 


¢ 


a 


_ IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE. 131 


science of a sinner, that term must be understood in 
an enlarged sense, as including under it every princi- 
ple which has any relation or affinity to the conscience, 
and every fact in which any such priaciple is involved. 
It is not the bare law, as it stands declared in the Ten 
Commandments, that is the sole instrument of convic- 
tion; but the moral principle of that law, whether 
as it is displayed in the retributions of a righteous 
Providence, or illustrated by the afflictions of human 
life, or exemplified in the conduct of believers and 
the perfect pattern of Christ, or as unfolded in the 
parables, or as embodied in the Gospel, and shining 
forth in the Cross. The law is a schoolmaster that 
brings the sinner to Christ; but Christ is a teacher 
that brings the sinner to know the law as he never 
knew it before. The law points the eye of a con- 
vinced sinner to the cross; but the cross throws in 
upon his conscience a flood of light which sheds a 
reflex lustre on the law. Hence we believe that the 
Gospel of Christ, and especially the doctrine of the 
Cross of Christ, is the most powerful instrument for 
impressing the conscience of a sinner, and for turning 
his convictions into genuine contrition of heart. And 
this because the Gospel, and especially the doctrine 
of the cross, contains in it the spirit and essence of 
the law,—it recognises and proceeds upon the moral 
principles of God’s government, and affords a new 
and most impressive manifestation of the holiness of 
the Lawgiver, and the turpitude of sin; while, at the 
same time, it unfolds such a proof of the compassion 
and love of God, as is peculiarly fitted to melt and 
I 


122 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


subdue the heart, which the mere terrors of the law 
might only turn into a more hardened and unrelenting 
obduracy. Let the sinner who makes light of sin 
turn his eye to the cross of Christ, and: he will see 
_ there, as well as amidst the thunderings and the light- 
nings of Sinai, that the Lord is a jealous God; that 
sin is the abominable thing which he hateth; and that 
he is resolved, at all hazards, and notwithstanding 
whatever suffering it may occasion, to visit it with 
condign punishment; let him look. to the cross, and 
behold there, suspended on that accursed tree, the Son 
of God himself; let him listen to the words which 
fell from that illustrious sufferer in the midst of his 
agony and passion, “ My God, my God, why hast 
thou forsaken me ?” and let him then inquire, why 
was it that he, of whom it had been once and again 
proclaimed from the highest heavens, “ This is) my 
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” and: of 
whom it is recorded, that once and again, on his 
bended knees, and with all the earnestness of impor- 
tunate supplication, he had prayed in the garden, “ O 
my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from 
me ;”—why was it that he, who was thus affectionately 
spoken of as God’s beloved Son, and who, as a Son, 
so submissively poured out his heart into a Father's 
ear, was nevertheless subjected to the agony and 
death of the cross? and when, in reply to all his 
inquiries, the Bible declares, that the Son of God 
suffered because he had consented to become charge~ 
able with sin; that he “ who knew no sin was made 
sin for us,” and that, therefore,“ it pleased the Lord 


4 » ~ 7 . ™, 
. 4 
° 4°32 
: ‘ 
es ’ 
‘ d @ 
t. 
IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE. 123, 


to bruise him, and to put him to grief ;” that “ he was 
wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for cur 
iniquities ;” and that he died, because the wages of sin 


4, 


is death:—oh! does not the sinner now feel in hiss ; 
inmost soul, that if Sinai be dreadful, Calvary has its ,. 


terrors too; that if “ by the law is the knowledge: of | 
sin,” the Gospel adds its sublime and harmoni 

commentary,—that the cross of Christ is the most 
awful monument of Heaven’s justice, the most solemn 
memorial of the sinner’s danger; and does he not 
infer, with all the quickness of intuition, that if sin 
was not spared, nor left unpunished, but visited with 
condemnation and death, when it was imputed to his 
own, his only, his well-beloved Son, much less will sin, 
unexpiated and unforgiven, be spared, or left unpunish- 
ed, when, after this solemn work of atonement, God 
will arise to plead with those who cleave to that ac- 


cursed thing whi h nailed the Saviour to the tree? , 


The cross—the cross of a crucified Saviour, is the most 
powerful, the most impressive demonstration of sin, 
and righteousness, and judgment. ‘The cross may 
well alarm every sleeping sinner, and awaken every 
slumbering conscience, and stir into agitation and 
tumult every listless and impenitent heart. Itis the 
law by which we obtain the knowledge of sin; but 
the law is magnified in the cross ; and it is the law i 
the cross that carries home to every awakened con- 
science the most alarming convictions of guilt. Can i 
hope to be spared, may one say, when “ God spared — 
not his own Son?” Are my sins venial, or light ¢ 2? These 
sins of mine were enough, when ‘imafented to the 


~ 


. 


]24 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


Son of God, to nail him tothe tree! May I venture 
into eternity in the hope that my sins may be forgot- 
ten there? And why were they remembered here, 
when God’s Son ascended the hill of Calvary? May 
not the strictness of God’s law be relaxed in my 
favour? But why, oh! why was it not relaxed in 
favour of Christ? No; that one fact—that awful 
cross which was erected on the hill beside Jerusalem, 
-—annihilates every ground of careless security—tears 
from me every rag by which I would seek to cover 
my shame—drives me from every refuge to which I 
would repair ;——that one fact, that Christ died for 
sin, shuts me up to the conviction, that as a sinner, [ 
stand exposed to the. wrath and curse of an offended 
God, and that the outraged law must receive a full 
and final vindication. But must it be by my personal 
and everlasting punishment? Yes, assuredly, if I 
stand on the footing of law ; for “ the soul that sin- 
neth, it shall die.” But look again to that mysterious 
cross: amidst the darkness which surrounds it, and 
the awful manifestations of God’s wrath which the 
sufferer felt, there breaks forth a light—glorious as 
the sun shining in its strength—unlike the lhght- 
nings which flashed around Sinai,—this is the Sun of 
Righteousness rising with healing in its beams—the 
effulgent light of God’s love—the glorious manifesta- 
tion of God’s grace and mercy; for “ God so loved 
tne world as to give his Son.” Look once more; for 
the same cross which wounds will also heal; the same 
conscience which is pierced by the arrows of convic- 
tion, may be pacified by the Gospel of peace; and 


ér,, 


IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE, 195 


thus all that is terrible in the cross, when combined 
with the tenderness of God’s mercy, and the amazing, 
the self-denying, the self-sacrificing love of the Saviour, 
will then only awaken convictions in the conscience, to 
melt and change them into sweet contrition of heart. 

It is thus, that under the Gospel dispensation, the 
Spirit of God convinces the conscience by pressing 
home the eternal and unchangeable principles of the 
law, as these are embodied, illustrated, and displayed 
in a new and better dispensation. It is not the naked 
law, but the law in all its forms and manifestations, 
and especially the law in the facts and truths of the 
Gospel, which is thusused. For the Spirit reproves 
the world of sin,—why ? because they believe not on 
me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father; of 
judgment, because the prince of this world is judged, 
—all having reference to Christ and his cross, 

Ill. The work of conviction, of which the con- 
science is the subject, the Spirit the author, and the 
light of truth the means, consists in impressing the 
soul with a sense of its own sinfulness, and exciting 
in it some suitable feelings of fear, and shame, and 
self-condemnation. 

Sin, when presented to the mind in the light of 
conscience, and especially in the light of God’s truth 
unfolded and applied by the Spirit, is discerned to be 
a vile and odious thing ; and in order to this, a prin- 
cipal part of the Spirit’s work in conviction is to set 
before the sinner’s mind a discovery of sin in its own 
nature, and to fix him on a due consideration of it. 
This, as we have already seen, is an exercise in which 


ens. 
Se > f x 
“tes = =~” ™ 
126 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


every sinner is very unwilling to be engaged; he 
shrinks from the subject—would willingly forget it, 
and even when it is presented to his mind, is.prone to 
take partial views of it, and especially to excuse’ and 
exculpate himself. But God is often pleased to take 
the sinner into his own hands, and to press him with 
“ Jine upon line, and precept upon precept,” until he 
is made to see sin in its true character, and especially 
to see his own sinfulness. He brings his sins before 
him, and presses them on his attention. “ These 
things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou 
thoughtést that I was altogether such an one as thy- 
self; but I will reprove thee, and set them in order 
before thine eyes.” “ Now consider this, ye that forget 
God; lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to 
deliver.” Formerly he thought seldom of sin,—now 
he might say with David, “ My sin is ever before me.” 
There are many different ways in which the mind 


“may thus be awakened to a sense of its guilt. Some- 


times it is occasioned, in the first instance, by some 


gross outward sin, too flagrant to pass altogether un- 


reproved by the most sluggish conscience, and which 
may lead the sinner to reflect what must be the state 
of his heart, and what his desert at the hand of 
God. Sometimes by a growing sense of his inherent 
depravity, strengthened every day by his experience 
of the instability of his best resolutions, and the weak- 
ness of his highest efforts after amendment. Some- 
times by a faithful reproof from a friend, which con- 
veys to his conscience the startling intimation, that his 
character is not so highly esteemed by others as it 1s 


IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE. 197 


by himself,—which sets it on inquiry, and awakens 
self-distrust. Sometimes by a searching sermon— 
an awakening providence—by the judgments which 
God executes on others, or by distress sent into his 
own family, or by his being brought himself to the 
borders of the grave ; and when, in spite of himself, 
he is compelled to think of God, and sin, and judg- 
ment to come. In short, almost any text in the Bible, 
and almost any event in life, may be the occasion of 
calling the conscience into action, and pressing his 
own sinfulness home upon his attention: and the 
Spirit of God arrests and fixes it, till he makes such 
a discovery of sin as is suited to his case. In the 
quaint, but striking and comprehensive words of an 
eminent commentator,*—“ The Spirit convinceth of 
the fact of sin, that we have done so and so; of the 
fault of sin, that we have done ill in doing so; of the 
Jolly of sin, that we have acted against right reason, 


and our true interest ; of the filth of sin, that by it we» 


are become odious to God ; of the fountain of sin, the 
corrupt nature; and lastly, of the fruzé of sin, that 
the end thereof is death,” 

Sin, thus presented to the mind, and discovered in 
somewhat of its native deformity, is applied to the 
conscience so as to excite some suitable feelings of 
fear, and shame, and self-condemnation. 

No such feelings can be awakened until the sinner 
has some sight of the evil of sin, and some conviction 
of his own sinfulness. All the thunders of Sinai, and 
all the threatenings of the law, and all the curses that 


* Matthew Henry. 


WK 


128 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


are written in this book, and all the terrors of a judg- 
ment to come, may fall upon his ear, without awalk- 
ening any serious concern, until conscience is roused 
within, and responds to the voice of God above. An 


‘ unconvinced conscience is utterly insensible: blinded by 


sin, it cannot see; and hardened by sin, it cannot feel. 
This deep insensibility—this stupid lethargy—this 
deadness of the conscience to all sense of fear and 
shame—arises from ignorance of God's character and 
Jaw, or from unbelief, which, in spite of all testimonies 
to the contrary, refuses to acknowledge God as a 
righteous Governor and Judge who will assuredly 
bring every sinner to judgment, and punish every SID 5 
or self-delusion, by which many a sinner flatters him- 
self, that however it may fare with others, he has no 
reason to fear; or some false persuasion in religion, 
which acts as an opiate to all conviction, such as the 
persuasion that God is too merciful to punish, or too 
great to mark the commission of sin,—or that an 
orthodox profession, a correct exterior, or a regular 
attendance on ordinances will secure his safety. Alas! 
how is many aconscience lulled to sleep by such mere 
delusions ; and how often do these delusions serve, 
like so many shields, to ward off and repel the sharp- 
est arrows of the Spirit! Under their fatal influence, 
the conscience may remain insensible till the sinner’s 


. dying hour ; nay, death itself will not arouse it, nor 


will it feel its own guilt and danger, till the realities 
of eternity are disclosed. Hence you hear of the 
calm and unruffled indifference with which many a 
wicked man meets his death,—the apathy and uncon- 


IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE. 129 


cern with which he can look back on a life of sin, 
even when he stands on the brink of the grave; and 
you may often wonder at this, and be ready to exclaim, 
How comes it that “ the wicked have no bands in 
their death,” if there be a Judge above, and a living 
conscience within? I answer, that here in this very 
spectacle—in this very insensibility—this deathlike 
apathy of the sinner’s conscience at that solemn hour, 
you have just one of.the most affecting manifestations 
of the righteous retribution of God,—the manifest 
effect of. that great. law of conscience, whereby it is 
ordained, that one who has long resisted the light 
shall be left in darkness; and that, by stifling his con- 
science, ‘“ he is given over to a reprobate mind.” He 
has no sight of his own sin—no shame—no fear, just 
because his conscience has been blinded or stifled, or 
because he is deceiving himself with some false per- 
suasion of his safety. Oh! let it not be said that a 
hardened conscience, which is insensible alike to the 
fear and the shame of guilt, is an enviable thing, or 
that it may not be the worst—the last stage of man’s 
degeneracy. For, the loss of shame is the crowning 
proof of long-continued sin. Mark, I pray you, the 


course of a wicked man. Behold him first as an infant, 


clinging fondly to a mother’s breast, and gladly return- 
ing a mother’s smile; behold him as a boy, in all the 
buoyancy of youthful health, with a heart as yet un- 
scathed by the habits of sin, and alive to every gene- 
rous impulse, and so sensitive to praise or blame, that 
a word—a look, will elevate or deject them: follow 
him onwards for a few years, when, yielding to the 


eF 


~~ 130 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


current of this world’s wickedness, he plunges into 
its deadly waters: see him when he returns from the 
haunts of vice to his once happy hearth,—now, instead 
of being touched with a mother’s love, or awed by a 
father’s look, the sternest reproof falls unheeded on 
his ear, and his whole bearing shows that he is beyond 
the strongest of all influences—the influence of home. 
Still he is alive, it may be, to the opinion of others, and 
especially would he stand well in the estimation of his 
companions, if not for temperance, and chastity, and 
religion, yet for truth, and honour, and kindness of 
heart; but as he advances in the fatal path, truth and 
honour, and kindness of heart, are all sacrificed on the 
shrine of self-indulgence,—he is separated by-his own 
vices from the companionship of equals; and now, 
descending rapidly, he loses all regard for God and 
man, and becomes utterly reckless. And, when urged 
by want or passion, he commits some fatal crime, he 
feels perhaps less compunction for shedding the blood 
of man, than he felt in other days for a youthful folly; 
and when charged, convicted, and condemned, he may 
enter his cell, and walk to the gibbet, amidst crowds 
of awestruck spectators, with no other feeling than 
the mere shrinking of the flesh from suffering,—with 
neither shame, nor fear, nor self-condemnation in his 


heart of stone ! 


But when the sinner obtains a sight of the evil of 
sin, and especially of his own sinfulness, his convic- 
tions are attended with some suitable feelings or 


- emotions, such as fear, shame, and self-condemnation. 
_ These feelings are the suitable, and, in one sense, the 


a2 


re 


‘> 


4 a 
IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIBNOE. Wiese 


‘natural attendants of conviction. When sin stands 
disclosed, especially in the light of God’s truth, it 
throws a dark shadow in upon the sinner’s soul. which 
overawes and agitates, and terrifies him. Conviction 
produces shame; for sin is seen to be a vile and loath- 
some thing; and the soul, which is covered with sin, 
is felt to be vile and loathsome too. Conviction pro- 
duces fear; for a sense of guilt is inseparably con- 
nected, through conscience, with a sense of danger ;— 
and conviction produces self-condemnation ; for it is 
not in the reproof of another, not even the reproof of 
God himself, but such reproof so applied as to become 
his own decision upon his own case, that conviction 
for sin consists. 

Now these feelings, in a greater or less degree, are 
the appropriate and natural concomitants of convic- 
tion, by whatever means the conscience may come to 
be convinced. Let the conscience, whether acting by 
its own energy, or as quickened by the Spirit of God, 
obtain a realizing conviction of sin, and forthwith 
it pronounces a condemning sentence, and awakens 
shame and fear; and that, too, when the sinner’s per- 
sonal habits, and his known opinions, and general 
circumstances in the world would seem to make such 
a visitation the most unlikely. Take a few familiar 
but striking illustrations from the Word of God. 

Fear and shame were alike unknown in a state of 
conscious innocency : but our first parents sinned, and 
immediately conscience called forth into action these 
latent feelings of their souls,—“ The eyes of them both 


were opened, and they knew that they were naked ;”’— _ 


- 
% 


182 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


_ there was shame—the first-fruit of sin. ‘“ And they 
heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the gar- 
den in the cool of the day; and Adam and his wife 
hid themselves from. the presence of the Lord God 
amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God 
called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou ? 
And he said, I Heard thy voice in the garden, and I 
was afraid, because I was naked ; and I hid myself ;” 
-—there was shame. mingled with fear. 

The Scribes and Pharisees brought an adulterous 
woman to Christ, demanding to know what sentence 
should be pronounced against her. Jesus answered, 
“‘ He that is without sm among you, let him first 
cast. a stone at her ;” and immediately they which 
heard it—the self-righteous Pharisees—-“ being con- 
victed by their own conscience, went out, one by 
one, beginning at the eldest even unto the last; and 
Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the 
midst.” Efere we see conscience breaking through all 
the fences of self-righteous security, and compelling 
the guilty to retire in self-confusion from the presence 
of the Lord. 

A lawyer came to Christ, and “ stood up and 
tempted him, saying, Master, what shallI do to inherit 
eternal life ?” Jesus answered, ‘* What is written in the 
law ? how readest thou 2?” And when he had given his 
own account of the law, and in his own words, Jesus 
said, ‘ Thou hast answered right; this do and thou 
shalt live.” But, itis added, he, not content with this 
sentence of approbation, was milling to justify him- 
scif, —Why, but that while Christ pronounced an 


ia 


IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE. Too 


approving sentence on the law which he had explain- 
ed, conscience pronounced another—a condemning 
sentence on himself, as a conscious transgressor of 
that law? and his seeking to justify himself when 
Christ had brought no charge against him, nay, when 
Christ had expressly said, “‘ Thou hast answered right ; 
this do and thou shalt live.” proves that every sin- 
ner, however self-righteous, carries about with him an 
inward witness which no sooner sees the pure light 
of God's law, than it becomes an accuser ; and, in spite 
of all the sophistry of self-deceit, forces him at least 
to excuse, exculpate, and extenuate his guilt, if he 
would ward off or escape from a sentence of self-con- 
demnation ! 
Herod the Tetrarch belonged to the family party 
or sect of Herodians who were opposed to the Phari- 
sees In many respects, and in religious matters seem 
to have been associated withthe sceptical Sadducees,* 
who believed neither in angel, nor spirit, nor the re- 
surrection from the dead; yet no sooner did he hear 
of the miracles of Jesus, than his guilty conscience, 
bursting the flimsy covering of unbelief, forced him 
to exclaim, “It is John whom I beheaded: he is 
risen from the dead ;’—‘ John the Baptist is risen 
from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show 
forth themselves in him.” Mark the power of con- 
sclence—how it starts from its sleep and fastens on 
the guilty sinner, and raises up around him imaginary 
terrors, and makes him believe, against his professed 
creed, in the reappearance and resurrection of: that 


Horne’s Introd, iii. 106, 380, 


134 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


faithful messenger, whose head he had severed from 
his body, but whose holy form still haunted his pre- 
sence, and scared his peace! 

“A band of men and officers,” with lanterns, and 
torches, and weapons, came to the garden of Geth- 
semane by night, for the purpose of apprehending 
Jesus. “ Whom seek ye?” said the meek and lowly 
Saviour. “ Jesus of Nazareth,” was the reply. «I 
am he,” answered the same calm voice; but it was a 
voice of power, that spoke like thunder to their con- 
sciences ; for “ as -soon as he had said unto them, I 
am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.” 
Behold the power of conscience, awakening fear, and’ 
agitation, and awe, and casting a band of officers and 
armed men to the ground before a defenceless and un- 
resisting captive ! 

Judas was with the band of soldiers on that fearful 
night—Judas, who had associated with the Lord for 
years,—who had covenanted with his persecutors to 
betray him for money,—who now marked him out by 
the preconcerted sign—hail, Master, and kissed him. 
Oh! it might be thought that a conscience which had 
for years resisted the light of the Saviour’s teaching, 
and witnessed the blessed example of his holy life, 
and stood firm against the melting tenderness of his 
love,—that a conscience which left him free to form his 
unhallowed purpose, and to plan the mode of its exe- 
cution, and to take the price of blood, and to kiss the 
Saviour ix Gethsemane,—that a conscience so steeped 
in guilt, might have acquired an obduracy which no 
subsequent reflection could oyercome; and that, if it 


IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE, 135 


troubled him not now in the act of treachery, it might 
never trouble him more; but even in the breast of 
Judas, conscience was not dead, but asleep, and it 
awoke with terrific power, when his purpose had been 
safely carried into effect, And if you would see the 
self-condemning power of God’s vicegerent in the 
guiltiest heart, look to that traitor and apostate, who, 
when the eyes were now sealed in death, whose mild 
look of reproof might have withered his soul within 
him,—when the tongue which spake as never man 
spake was silent as the grave,—felt a new power 
rising within his own bosom which condemned him, 
and under the burden of his own remorse, and shame, 
and fear, ‘she repented himself, and brought again 
the thirty pieces: of silver, and said I have sinned in 
that I have betrayed innocent blood. And he cast 
down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed 
and went and hanged himself.” 

T have referred to these scriptural examples of con- 
viction, for the purpose of showing that fear, shame, 
and self-condemnation, are its appropriate and suit- 
able attendants, and that these harrowing feelings 
are immediately produced in the soul, when at any 
time, and by any means, it obtains a view of its own 
sinfulness. ‘There may be no sense of sin, and then 
there will be no sense of fear, or shame, or self-con- 
demnation ; but’ let a sense of sin be awakened, and 
these emotions will spring up instantaneously along 
with.it. Now, this sight and sense of his own ‘sin- 
fulness may be awakened at any time—it may be 
awakened suddenly, and when it is least expected ; 


— 136 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


—a single text of Scripture, a faithful sermon, an 
awakening providence, a vivid view of God’s justice, 
a solemn thought of eternity,—any one of these may 
break up the false security of a sinner, while the Spirit 
of God has at all times access to his conscience, and 
can disturb, and trouble, and arouse it.’ The unbe- 
liever has really no security for one hours continu- 
ance in peace; thoughtless and unconcerned as he is 
—unawed either by the rebukes of conscience, or the 
authority of God, or the terrors of a judgment to come 
——he may at any time be made to feel a power rising 
up within,—a power long dormant, but now roused 
into tremendous action,—a power which troubles his 
soul, and brings over it a horror of thick darkness, 
and a cloud of appalling terrors—which overwhelms 
him how with shame under a sense of his vileness, 
and now with fear, under a sense of his danger,—a 
power which gives to every long forgotten sin a new 
place in his memory, and brings the whole train of 
his sins to pass in dark array before him, and imparts to 
each of them a scorpion’s sting,—a power from whose 
presence he cannot flee, for it is within him; and go 
where he will, he must carry it along with him,—and 
which has this mysterious prerogative, that while it 
asserts a supremacy over every other faculty of his 
nature, and a right to judge and condemn every vio- 
lation of its authority, it makes him to feel. that he 
is not dealing with himself only, but with God, the 
Judge of all. Willingly would he make light of sin, 
as before; but now sin has become a burden too 
heavy for him to bear: he would laugh at his fears, 


IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE. 133 
as the phantoms of superstition, but something within 
tells him they are too real to be scorned; he would 
brave it out, as formerly, amongst his gay companions, 
and show no touch of shame; but his soul sinks in 
the effort, and loathes itself and every thing it once 
loved :—‘‘ a wounded spirit who can bear?” The 
intolerable anguish of conviction, when an awakened 
conscience rages unpacified within, no tongue of man 
can utter, no heart of man conceive. What must it 
be with the conscience of an unbeliever, when from 
the lips of God’s own people, while they lay under 
a passing cloud of conviction, such words as these 
were extorted by its power: “ When I kept silence, 
my bones waxed old through my roaring all the 
day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy 
upon me; my moisture is turned into the drought of 
summer.” “O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath, 
neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure; for thine 
arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me 
sore: there is no soundness in my flesh, because of 
thine anger, neither is there any rest in my bones, 
because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over 
mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy 
for me.” “ I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly, 
I go mourning all the day long.” “ Tam feeble and 
sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquiet- 
ness of my heart.” On another occasion: “ I remem- 
bered God and was troubled, I complained and my 
spirit was overwhelmed. Thou holdest mine eyes 
waking; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.” 


« Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be 
K 


eo 
a 


. 


* 
a7, 
Sa 


138 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever, 
doth his promise fail for evermore? hath God forgot- 
ten to be gracious, hath he in anger shut up his ten- 
der mercies?” And so Job in a like case: “ The 
arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison 
whereof drinketh up my spirit; the terrors of God 
do set themselves in array against me. For thou 
writest ‘bitter things against me, and makest me to 
possess the iniquities of my youth.” If conscience 
have power to awaken such feelings of shame, and 
dread, and self-condemnation, in the case even of 
righteous men, when visited with a temporary with- 
drawment of the light of God’s countenance; oh! 
what must its power be when it is awakened in the 
ease of impenitent and unpardoned sinners,—and 
awakened it must be, sooner or later; and if not 
sooner, certainly not later than the hour, when leay- 
ing this world, and entering into the world of spirits, 
the realities of eternity will burst at once on their 
view. 

Even in the case of men who are never savingly 
converted, conviction of sin may not be the mere fruit 
of natural conscience, but the effect of a common work 
of the Spirit on their minds. Many seem to suppose 
that the Spirit of God never operates except where he 
accomplishes the whole work of conversion ; but there 
are not a few passages in Scripttre which seem to im- 
ply, that souls which are never converted, may never- 
theless be the subjects of His convincing power. They 
are convinced and reproved, not only by the light of 
natural conscience, nor only by the outward light of 


IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE. 139 


God’s Word, but by the inward application of that 
truth to their consciences by the power of the Spirit of 
God. It is surely not unreasonable to believe that the 
Spirit of God may operate on their minds in the same 
way and to the same extent, although for a very dif- 
ferent end, as Satan does, the spirit that now worketh 
in the children of disobedience ;—presenting the truth 
even as Satan presents falsehood—applying the motives 
of conversion even as Satan urges the allurements of 
sin,—while the sinner’s mind is left to male its choice, 
Accordingly we read of unrenewed men, who, under 
a common work of the Spirit, were once “ enlighten- 
ed, and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made 
partakers of the Holy Ghost,” who, nevertheless, were 
not renewed unto repentance, or thoroughly converted 
to God,—of some “ who sin wilfully after they have 
received the knowledge of the truth,” and who, on 
that account, are described as “doing despite unto 
the Spirit of grace.” Such persons were not savingly 
converted, for none who have been renewed and sanc- 
tified by the grace of the Spirit, will ever fall away, 
or come into condemnation ; but they did share, not- 
withstanding, in that work of the Spirit which 1s ordi- 
narily preparatory to conversion,—they may have had 
some knowledge, some conviction, some impressions 
from the Spirit of grace, and these are in their own 
nature good and useful, having a tendency and fitness 
as a means to prepare their minds for a greater change 5 
and if they fail to subdue their wills to the obedience 
of Christ, they will serve, at least, to make it mani- 
fest, that nothing but their own unwillingness stood 


140 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


in the way of their being saved. When such -convie- 
tions decay and die without saving fruit it is because 
they are not suitably improved or submissively fol- 
lowed; for it is the law of Christ’s kingdom, that 
one talent suitably improved, procures another, while 
the neglect of it. incurs its forfeiture,“ to him that 
hath shall be given, and he shall have more abun- 
dantly ; but from him that hath not, shall be taken 
away that which he hath.” “ For the earth which 
drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and 
bringeth forth herbs’ meet for them by whom it is 
dressed, receiveth blessing from God; but that which 
beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto 
cursing, whose end is to be burned.” 

It appears, then, that the minds of unconverted 
men may be the subjects of conviction, of which the 
Spirit of God himself is the author: and that they 
are responsible, not only for the light of natural con- 
science, nor only for the light of God’s Word, but for 
that light and those convictions which the Spirit may 
awaken in their souls. And if this common opera- 
tion of the Spirit stops short of conversion, it is not 
because the same motives are not presented to their 
minds, as to those of other men who are savingly 
changed, but from their own stubbornness in resist- 
ing these motives, and because their will stands out 
against the work of the Spirit. Here lies the radical 
difference betwixt the converted and the unconverted ; 
both may be the subjects of a convincing work of the 
Spirit ; but in the one the will is stubborn and refuses 
to yield, while in the other, the will is by God's sove- 


IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE. 141 


reign grace effectually subdued, so as to concur with 
his holy design ; so that a real willingness to be re- 
newed and sanctified is the characteristic mark of a 
new creature. Hence those in whom the conscience 
is convinced, while the will is unsubdued, are thus 
described,— But they rebelled, and vexed his Holy 
Spirit; therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and 
he fought against them.”- “ Ye stiff-necked, and un- 
circumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the 
Holy Ghost.” And the apostle warns even the pro- 
fessing followers of Christ, in these solemn words,— 
“ Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God”—“ Quench not 
the Spirit.” 

IV. The work of conviction may be carried on in 
various ways, and may differ greatly in different cases, 
but in some degree it is necessary in all to a saving 
work of conversion. It may be commenced and car- 
ried on in various ways. Sometimes it comes on a 
hardened sinner in advanced life like a sudden flash 
of lightning from heaven; sometimes it is implanted, 
like a seed, in the soul of a child, which grows with 
his growth, and strengthens with his strength. Some- 
times it is occasioned by one gross actual sin, which 
overwhelms the mind with a sense of its guilt and 
danger ; at other times, by a calm review of the whole — 
of a man’s experience, which impresses his mind with 
a sense of the radical corruption of his nature. Some- 
times the sins of youth are recalled and set in order 
before him; at other times his neglect of Gospel 
grace, his forgetfulness of prayer, his misimprovement 
_ of privileges, his frequent declensions, his broken reso- 


Ee 


& 


< 


ee * Get 
. . ae "2 + 4 
= a = . ; 
142 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


‘ lutions, his unfulfilled engagements, his unsanctified 


_ Sabbaths, his ingratitude for mercies, his inattention 


to the voice of judgment or of mercy, a fit of sickness, 
or the dangerous illness of a wife or friend, or'the 
thought of death, or a vivid view of God’s justice or 
of the Saviour’s love,—in any one or all of these yvari- 
ous ways, sound conviction may be wrought in the 
conscience. ; 

It differs, too, in its degree and duration in different 
cases. Some are brought through deep waters,— 
others are more gently conducted to the Saviour. 
Fear, and shame, and self-condemnation, are insepar- 
able from deep conviction, where it exists by itself 
_ and without a knowledge of the Saviour; but they 
» may be wrought in a greater or less degree, and in 
some cases they are immediately swallowed up in a 
sense of redeeming love. 

I mention these diversities in the experience of 
different men, with the view of removing a stumbling- 
block which has often given uneasiness,—a mistake 
which has often been injurious to the siltcere be- 
liever. Many, when they hear that cOuviction is 
essential to conversion, and when they rarther hear or 


a 


. read of the sharp convict.ons the deey distress of 


‘mind, the fearful terrors which come have experienced, 
have been ready to onestion the soundness, or at least 
the sufficiency of their own convictions, because they 
nnd nothing corresponding to it in their own expe- 
rience. For their relief and comltort, let me assure 
them, that if they be really convinced and humbled 
on account of sin, it matters little whether their ex- 


as 


2S 
~ ae " 
” a ad -2< Ds % 
IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE. 143 


perience corresponds in all respects with the experience 
of other men or no; nay, that so various are the 


operations of the same Spirit, ‘who divideth to 
every man severally as he will,” that it is impossible. 
their experience can correspond with that of all other 


believers. God's Spirit deals with each according to 
his own necessities, and the work to which he is called. 
Sometimes he leads a sinner to heaven by the very 
gates of hell,—to strong faith through the fiery fur- 
nace of unbelief ;* to the heights of holy love through 
the depths of wrath. At other times, conviction is 
no sooner awakened than it is allayed, at least in its 


painful agitations and fears, by the healing voice of. 


mercy. You may think, indeed, that your convic- 
tions ought to be much deeper,—your fears more 
alarming, your sorrow more intense, your self: reproof 
more severe; but be it remembered, that mere fear 
and sorrow “belong not to the precept, but to the 


curse,” and are not so much “required as inflicted on 


the sinner ;” 


and if you have a deliberate and abiding 
conviction of your own sinfulness, accompanied with 
a persuasion that you are thereby worthy of punish- 
ment, and capable of being saved only through the 
mercy of God, you have the substance of true convic- 
tion, and need not perplex yourselves about its mode 


or form. 


e ° °  & . 

But some such conviction of sin is essential, and - 
cannot be dispensed with. The very nature of con-. 
version presupposes it. No sinner will ever receive | 


Christ as a Saviour, until he is convinced that he 


* Haliburton. : x 


e, 


“te 


144 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


needs to be saved; and this implies a conviction of 
his guilt, a sense of his danger, and a persuasion of 
the absolute impossibility of saving himself. 

V. The result or tssue of this work of conviction, 
while in some respects it is the same in all, is in others, 
and these of the highest importance, different in diffe- 
‘rent men. 

In some respects it produces similar effects in all 
who are the subjects of it. Of these we may men- 
tion the feelings of fear, shame, and self-condemna- 
tion, formerly noticed, which in some degree, greater 
or less, are experienced by every convinced sinner, 
and which correspond with “the Spirit of bondage 
unto fear” spoken of by the apostle, and which are 
the effect of the law applied by the Spirit, and the 
utmost that the mere law can produce. Besides 
this there is an inward conflict betwixt sin and the 
conscience—a conflict which is widely different, and 
must be carefully distinguished, from that other con- 
flict of which the apostle speaks as being carried 
on in the soul of the true believer, and which is a 
warfare, not betwixt sin and the conscience, but be- 
tmixt sin and the will. Of this latter conflict, the 
unconverted man may have little or no experience ; 
but of the former, every convinced sinner is conscious; 
he feels that conscience and sin are at war within him; 
that, while sin enrages and exasperates the conscience, 
conscience denounces and condemns sin; so that he 
is torn and rent by two antagonist forces, and his in- 
ward peace is destroyed. All this may consist with 
the prevailing love and power of sin; the will may 


— 


ay my 
kh * 
Be 


IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE. 145 
still be on its side while conscience stands opposed to 
it. Remorse and even sorrow may also be felt,—that 
remorse which has no affinity with true repentance— 
that sorrow of the world which worketh death. N ay, 
under the influence of conviction, many an uncon- 
verted man may form the resolution, and make some 
efforts after amendment of life; which being based on 
a spirit of self-sufficiency, and having no dependence 
on the sanctifying grace of God, and unaccompanied 
with earnest prayer for the Spirit, quickly come to 
nought ; and he returns “ like a dog to his vomit, and 
like a sow that was washed to his wallowing in the 
mire.” \_ Ader “phy 
Now, at this point, the one stem or stock of con- 
viction divides into two great branches—one which 
brings forth the fruit of repentance, and another which 


ends in the production of final reprobacy. Both may | 


be covered with the buds and blossom of a fair pro- 
fession; but the fruit is widely different. The con- 
trast betwixt the two is finely exemplified by the 
opposite effects of the same truth, as declared by Peter 
and Stephen respectively. When Peter preached, the 
Jews were “ pricked in their hearts,” and began to in- 
quire in earnest, What must we do to be saved? But 
when Stephen preached, they were “ cut to the heart,” 
yet they only gnashed on him with their teeth. (Acts 
11. 375 vii. 54.) 

With one class, conviction of sin stops short of 
thorough conversion. Such conviction was salutary 
in itself, and had a tendency to lead the sinner onward 
to a happy change; but its power is resisted—itg 


146 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


suggestions stifled—its voice drowned by the clamour 
of unruly passions. Such convictions are like the 
startling of a man in sleep, who quickly turns himself 
back on his pillow, and sinks again into lethargy; or 
like a sudden flash of lightning, exciting momentary 
awe and terror, but quickly passing, and leaving all in 
darkness as before. They may continue for a longer 
or a shorter period, and may recur at intervals through 
a long life, but they are ever treated in the same way, 
and produce no greater effect,—they arouse the con- 
science, but do not conquer the will,—they alarm the 
fears, but do not subdue the heart,—they make sin 
dreadful, but they do not make it hateful to the soul. 
It loves sin, and hates its convictions ; and, therefore, 
the former is cherished, while the latter are suppressed. 
Oh! it is a fearful case, when God comes so near to 
the heart, and the heart is thus wilfully closed against 
him !—for such convictions can neither be resisted 
without incurring guilt, nor stifled without leaving 
behind them, like a fire that has been kindled and 
quenched, the black traces of their power, in their 
withering and hardening influence on the heart. 
“With another.class, conviction works towards con- 
version, and, under the influence of evangelical motives, 
issues in true and lasting repentance. The soul, con- 
vinced of its guilt, and impressed with a sense of its 
danger, is prompted to ask, What must I do to be 
saved? How shall I fiee from the wrath to come? 
Sensible of its vileness, and loathing itself on account 
of it, it begins to inquire, How may | be cleansed 
from the pollution of my nature, and the foulness of 


IN CONVINCING THE CONSCIENCE. 147 


my sm? If, when the-soul is thus convinced, and 
anxious, the glorious scheme of grace and redemption 
is unfolded to its view ; if it be enabled to look to the 
cross, and to Christ as the Lamb of God that taketh 
away the sin of the world; and if it be penetrated 
with a lively sense of the love of Christ to sinners, and 
of God's mercy through him,—then stern conviction 
will be melted into tender contrition, and the most 
harrowing remorse into kindly repentance. The heart 
which trembled, and was perhaps hardened under the 
ice-cold fetters of conviction, is subdued by the beams 
of the Sun of Righteousness. The soul, under the 
horror of darkness, may have been a scene of inward 
agony ; but one ray of heaven’s light, piercing through 
the gloom, converts it into a scene of peace. In the 
greatest tumult of conviction, a single word of Gospel 
comfort may produce inward quiet, when it is spoken 
by Him who said to the raging sea, ‘ Peace, be still, 
and immediately there was a great calm.” The con- 
vinced sinner, thus apprehending the love of Christ, 
and the glorious design of his Gospel, is thoroughly 
changed by means of it ; his stubborn will is subdued, 
and he is made willing in the day of divine power; 
in a word, he undergoes a change of mind and heart, 
which is called evangelical repentance, and, in this 
its largest sense, is the same with being born again. 
Then legal conviction becomes evangelical contrition. 
In this there is sorrow—but not the sorrow of the 
world which worketh death ;—shame, but such as 
humbles without depressing the soul ;—and fear, but 
not the fear which hath torment—not the fear that is 


fs 
148 AN ADDRESS TO CONVINCED SINNERS. 


associated with the Spirit of bondage ; but filial fear, 
having respect to the majesty of God, and even to his 
warnings and threatenings ;—yet not the servile fear 
of a condemned malefactor, but the ingenuous fear of 
a forgiven child. 


eS Gee 


AN ADDRESS TO CONVINCED SINNERS. 


3 


As there may be some who have already passed, or 
are now passing through the various stages of convic- 


tion, and as their present situation is one of a very 


critical nature, on the due improvement of which 
their eternal welfare depends, I would earnestly solicit 
their attention to a special statement of the duties of 


convinced sinners. 


1. Beware how you deal by your convictions, and 
remember that you are responsible to God for your 
treatment of them. Whether they have been pro- 
duced by the unaided exercise of conscience, or by the 
natural influence of the Word of God, or by the direct 
agency of the Holy Spirit applying the truth to your- 
selves individually,—there they are—in your bosom, 
and they will either prove a blessing or acurse. They 
cannot leave you as they found you; they will sub- 
due or harden every soul in which they have found 
a place. You cannot rid yourself of them without 
doing violence to your conscience, and despite to the 
Spirit of grace. You may try to allay them; you 
may seek, by hurrying into the world, and by mixing 
with thoughtless companions, and perhaps by having 


a 
- 
‘ “- 
AN ADDRESS TO CONVINCED SINNERS 149 


recourse to the soothing opiate, or the intemperate 
draught, to forget the fears which haunt you; you 
may even succeed in regaining a temporary security: 
but so far from diminishing, you are only adding to 
your guilt, and while you shun fear, you rush into 
greater danger. If there be one thing for which a 
man is responsible to God, it must be the manner in 
which he deals with the convictions of his own con- 
science. And even in the present world, although it 
be not a state of strict retribution, there is going on 
in the experience of every sinner, a process of judicial 
equity, which proceeds on the principle of aiding every 
attempt, however feeble, to improve the light he has, 
and of withdrawing that light from those by whom it 
is neglected or despised. The same convictions, im- 
proved by one man, and stifled by another, will issue 
in results as opposite as light and darkness, or heaven 
and hell! re 

2. Instead of stifling your convictions, seek to know 
more and more of the evil nature of sin, and of your 
own vileness in particular. Beware of dismissing 
them as idle, or imaginary, or exaggerated terrors ; 
and rest assured, that as yet you know comparatively 
nothing, either of the nature of sin, or of your own 
characters. as they appear in the sight of a holy God. 
That you may know more of it, fix your minds ona 
serious consideration of sin,—place it in the light of 
God’s Word,—look on it as it appears in the cross of 
Christ,—consider it in connection with the curse of the 
law, the sufferings of life, the agonies of death, and 
the realities of a coming judgment; and that you may 


150 AN ADDRESS TO CONVINCED SINNERS. 


feel ag well as know what it is, seek to be suitably 
affected by a sense of sin,—till the conviction be 
thoroughly inwrought into the very frame of your 
minds, that you cannot. justify nor even excuse it. 

However deep and painful your convictions may 
be, you may well believe that you are infinitely more 
sinful and vile in'God’s sight than in your own ; first, 
because of the natural darkness, depravity, and deceit- 
fulness of your hearts, which prevent you from seeing 
yourselves as God sees you; and secondly, because of 
God’s essential, infinite, and unsullied purity, of whom 
it is said, that “the heavens are not clean in his sight 
that he chargeth his angels with folly ;” ‘‘ that he is of 
purer eyes than to behold iniquity, and that he can- 
not look upon sin.” And that this solemn thought 
may be impressed on your mind, dwell much on the 
contemplation of God’s character, contrasting it with 
your own; endeavour to realize the thought of God 
as the omnipotent and omniscient Searcher of hearts, 
the pure, and holy, and just Governor and Judge,— 
till you are ready to exclaim with Job, “ [ have heard 
of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye 
seeth thee: wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in 
dust and ashes ;” or with Isaiah, ‘‘ Woe is me! for I 
am undone; because | ‘ama man of unclean lips, and 
I dwell amongst a people of unclean lips; for mine 
eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts.” 

3. Having acquired a sight and sense of your own 
. sinfulness, listen with submission to the sentence of 
God’s law. Apply that sentence to yourselves, and 
beware of any disposition that may spring up within 


AN ADDRESS TO CONVINCED SINNERS. 151 


you, either to quarrel with it as too severe, or to ima- 
gine that God cannot or will not enforce it. God's 
sentence must be a just one; and cannot be reversed, 
however it may be questioned, by man. It stands 
revealed in the Bible, and although conscience may 
not immediately respond to it when it is first an- 
nounced, yet the serious and frequent consideration of 
it will gradually impress and affect the conscience, 
till in the end you will be constrained to acknowledge 
that sin deserves God’s wrath and curse. The sen- 
tence of the law, duly reflected on in connection with 
your present experience of the curse that follows on 
sin, and with your future prospect of a judgment to 
come, will strengt%en the self-condemning power of 
conscience, and shut you up to the conviction, that 
you are “ without excuse,” and that every ‘‘ mouth 
must be stopt, and all the world become guilty before 
God.” And then, like David, you will be ready to 
justify God, and to condemn yourselves, saying, in 
the language of sincere confession, “ I acknowledge 
my transgression; that thou mightest be justified 
when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.” 

We should resist every tendency to question cither 
the equity of God in pronouncing, or the willingness 
of God to execute this sentence, by such reflections as 
these : (1.) That this sentence is plainly revealed in his 
Word. (2.) That being the sentence of God, it must 
be just and righteous ; for, “ will not the Judge of all 
the earth do right?” (3.) That, however it may be 
questioned, it cannot be reversed by man; it may be 
disputed or denied, but cannot be disannulled or ex- 


poe J 


52 AN ADDRESS TO CONVINCED SINNERS. 


punged from the statute-book of heaven. (4.) That 
God is really the only competent Judge of what pun- 
ishment is due on account of sin, and what penalties 
are needful for the ends of his universal government ; 
and, (5.) That as he has unquestionably the power, so 
he has shown that he has the will to carry that sen- 
tence into effect; by the expulsion of the apostate 
angels,—by the universal prevalence of death,—and 
above all, by the sufferings of Christ on the cross. 

4, Beware of having recourse to false grounds of 
confidence, or unscriptural means of relief. Under 
the pressure of conviction, the mind is prone to seek 
rest wherever it can find it, and too frequently it is 
found m some refuge of lies. Some false doctrine, or 
some superstitious practice, is often embraced, which 
serves to lull rather than to pacify the conscience, 
instead of that pure truth, and that Gospel holiness, 
which alone can restore it to spiritual life and health. 
Like the diseased, and feverish, and sleepless patient, 
who, instead of seeking to remove his distemper, and, 
to recruit his health by wholesome diet, has recourse 
to the soothing draught, or the exciting stimulant, 
which allays the symptoms, while it aggravates the 
disease. Thus false doctrine, or partial and erroneous 
views of divine truth, may minister temporary relief 
to an awakened conscience, as when the sinner eagerly 
grasps at the doctrine of the ultimate salvation of all 
men,—or of God's mercy as exercised without respect 
to justice,—or of the impossibility, or great unlikeli- 
hood of everlasting punishment; or of the power of 
mere moral amendment to obliterate the stain of guilt, 


op J 
* 


AN ADDRESS TO CONVINCED SINNERS, 153 


and restore him to the favour of God; or of the effi- 
cacy of some external ordinance, or some ecclesiastical 
privilege to secure his safety. And so, some supersti- 
tious observance, grafted on one or other of these false 
doctrines, is made the opiate of conviction,—as when 
the poor Papist has recourse to confession, and trusts 
to the absolution of a priest ; ‘or the uninstructed Pro- 
_testant fancies, that by a decent life, and regular atten- 
dance at church and sacrament, his salvation may be 
secured. Thus it is that many say to themselves, 
‘* Peace, peace, when there is no peace ;” while others 
seek relief by rushing into the world, and, by endless 
change of scene, and society, and employment, con- 
irive to forget convictions which they cannot endure. 
But let it be your inmost persuasion, that there is no 
stable ground of confidence, and no safe means of relief, 
except such as can bear the light of truth, and stand 
the test of God’s infallible Word; and that nothing - 
ought to pacify a sinner’s conscience, except that 
which alone can propitiate and satisfy an offended 
God. Conscience is God's vicegerent in the soul, 
and it can only be surely and permanently satisfied 
by that which God himself regards as a satisfaction 
for sin. 

5. Beware of the temptations which are peculiar to 
your present state, and steadfastly resist them. Every 
state has its peculiar snares; when convictions are 
weak, we are tempted to indifference. in regard to 
salvation ; when consolations abound, weare too prone 
to fall into spiritual pride ; and when consolations are 
withheld, and convictions strong, we are apt to sink 


154 AN ADDRESS TO CONVINCED SINNERS. 


into despair. This is the temptation to which strong 
convictions tend. The mind is apt to take a false and 
exaggerated view of its own sins; for although we 
can never think too ill of sin, we may charge ourselves 
unjustly, and make.a really false application of Scrip- 
ture, by regarding every infirmity as a wilful sin, and 
every wilful sin as a token of utter reprobation.* It 
is apt also to question whether its sins be pardonable, 
and its salvation possible, thereby limiting the efficacy 
of God’s grace, and the Saviour’s sacrifice, and exclud- 
ing itself from the means of Gospel consolation ; nay, 
like a diseased stomach, it turns the most wholesome 
food into poison, extracting nothing from the most 
precious promises, from the freest invitations, from 
the richest privileges of the Gospel, but a soul-wither- 
ing sense of its own wretchedness in having no in- 
terest in them ; and, penetrated with the unwarranted 
idea of its own hopeless condition, it first believes in 
this fiction of its own fancy, and then raises out of ita 
thousand imaginary terrors, and dark phantoms of evil. 

I know that in such cases reasoning can do little, 
and reproof still less; and that none but God himself 
can bind up and heal this wound. But while we look 
to earnest and persevering prayer as the most effec- 
tual means of ultimate relief, [ may humbly represent 
what appears to me to be the duty of a convinced 
sinner in such a case. And I have no hesitation in 
saying, that the convictions of an awakened conscience 
are good and useful in themselves, and ought to be 
cherished and yielded to in so far as they tend to 


* Bolton’s Comforting of Afflicted Consciences, pp. 56, 62. 


a 


£ 


AN ADDRESS TO CONVINCED SINNERS. 155 
humble ;—they ought not to be yielded to, but re- 
sisted, when they go beyond this. their legitimate ob- 
ject, and threaten to plunge us into despair. It isnot 
the conviction of your own sinfulness that you resist 
in such a case, but a misapplication of conviction— 
a false inference from it—a fatal error growing out 
of it, which has no warrant in the Word of God. 
Repentance, deep humility, and self-abasement, are 
the lawful and proper effects of conviction, and these 
are warranted by Scripture; but hopelessness, de- 
spondency or despair, are not warranted by Scripture, 
and ought therefore to be resisted as an unscriptural 
error. The Gospel is glad tidings—tidings of great 
joy to every—even the chief of sinners; and you can 
have no warrant from the Gospel to cherish that frame 
of mind. It is true that the Gospel speaks of the sin 
against the Holy Ghost; but it is spoken: of in general 
terms, and'so as to give no divine warrant to any sin- 
ner to believe that he has incurred it; and therefore 
this conviction of your having been guilty of that sin 
is a mere conclusion or inference of your own under- 
standing, unsupported by express Scripture, unsanc- 
tioned by divine authority, and not capable, therefore, 
of being pled with justice in opposition to the uniform 
tenor of the Gospel, which, speaking to you as a sinner, 
nay, as the very chief of sinners—calls, and invites, 
and entreats you to believe and be saved. And there- 
fore, I say, cherish conviction of sin so long as it tends 
to humble you, but so soon as it verges on the border 
of despair, resist it,—God's truth is then converted by 
Satan into a strong temptation: resist the devil and 


156 AN ADDRESS TO CONVINCED SINNERS. 


he will flee from you. This gloomy apprehension it 
may not be in your own power to remove, “ yet it is 
your duty to oppose to the uttermost. When God 
clothes the heavens with darkness, and makes sack- 
cloth their covering, and shuts up in the prison-house 
where no light can be perceived, it is natural to take 
a kind of pleasure in yielding to despondency, and 
in defending it by many arguments. But to resist 
this tendency requires seli-denial, and is the path of 
duty, however difficult.” ‘‘ Therefore, when the cloud 
appears blackest and most impenetrable, and when 
conscience or imagination are mustering up their 
heaviest charges and forebodings, endeavour to believe 
that there is One behind and above the cloud, whose 
heams of grace will at length break through it, and 
shine in upon you with a sweeter lustre than ever.” * 

6. Let the convinced sinner acquaint himself more 
fully with the complete remedy that is proposed to 
him in the Gospel, for ail that is really evil in his 
present condition. He may have read the Bible 
before, and may have acquired a cold intellectual no- 


tion of its leading truths; but never was he so well 


prepared for entering into its spirit, and feeling the 
suitableness of its provisions, and the power of its 
-consolations, as he is now. Every sentence will now 
appear to have a new meaning, every truth a fresh- 
ness, every encouraging word a sweetness, unperceived 
before. When the heart is interested—when . the 
conscience is seriously impressed, the mind will be 
awake, and active, and quick to discern what other- 


© Dr. Love’s Letters, 284, ~ 


qt; 


AN ADDRESS TO CONVINCED SINNERS. 157 


wise might escape his notice. The convinced sinner 
cannot read his Bible without feeling, that it is in all 
respects suited to his condition, and that’it proposes a 
complete remedy for all its evils. ‘There are just two 
comprehensive objects which an awakened conscience 
demands; the first is, the pardon of sin; aid the 
second, the purification of the sinner; and the more 
thoroughly awakened any conscience may be, the 
more impossible is it to satisfy it on these points by 
any expedient of mere human origin, while it will all 
the more certainly respond to the method prescribed 
in the Gospel by God himself. For there he finds 
both the great objects of his anxiety inseparably link- 
ed together, and each proposed in its greatest fulness, 
and on principles which satisfy the conscience, as well 
as relieve its fears.. Does he inquire after pardon ? 
and does his conscience suggest that, as sin deserves 
punishment, and as God is a righteous Judge, pardon 
cannot be indiscriminately bestowed, nor granted with- 
out some sufficient ground or reason? The Gospel 


proposes a free pardon—so free ihat the chief of sin- 


ners may take it freely; but-a pardon not granted 


without a sufficient ground or reason ; for it is a par- oe 
don founded on atonement,—a pardon not best at OE 


until Divine justice was satisfied,—a pardon 


which 
exhibits God as the just God and the Saviour, —a os 
pardon which, as it depends on principles which. satis- af 


fied the demands of God's justice, may ¥ well [be ren 
garded as sufficient to meet the demands of a sinner’s 


conscience. ‘The sacrifice: of Christ—that one sacri- 7 


fice—is the complete remedy for all guilt. Yet sin— 


(= 


158 AN ADDRESS TO CONVINCED SINNERS. 


sin still strong in the heart,—the power of that loath- 
some thing which makes a sinner vile in his own eyes, 
—this, also, must be taken away ; for, free as the par- 
doned sinner may be of all the guilt of his past trans- 
gressions, every conscience feels instinctively, that sin 
still Signing must be a constant disturber of its peace ; 
but here, too, thé Gospel provides a remedy,—it pro- 
poses the Holy Spirit.as the Sanctifier, by whose 
agency the principle of a new spiritual life is implanted 
in the soul, and gradually strengthened and matured, 
until, after a progressive sanctification, he shall be 
made “ meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.” 
Look at the whole remedy in all its fulness, and every 
convinced sinner will see, that it is not only suitable, 
but that it is adequate to all the exigencies of his case. 
7. Let the convinced sinner seek a sure personal 
interest in that remedy, by closing with the free offer 
of the Gospel. very sinner to whom the Gospel is 
preached, may be said to have a certain interest in it, 
as it is presented, exhibited, offered to all, without 
exception. But a saving personal interest in it de- 
pends on its being embraced, accepted, received. The 
general interest which every sinner has in it, and of 
which no man can deprive him—for it is given by God 
himself—is a sufficient warrant for his seeking this 
more peculiar and saving interest; in other words, 
every sinner who is invited to believe, is warranted 
and encouraged to believe to the saving of his soul. 
And he who can so far trust God as to take him at 
his word, and to rest in the assurance of his faithful- 
tess and sincerity in making this offer, need not fear 


AN ADDRESS TO CONVINCED SINNERS. 159 


that when he embraces it, it will be withdrawn, or left 
unfulfilled. But let him not rest in this general per- 
suasion—let him act upon it; and; by a deliberate 


exercise of mind, and in the most resolute manner, let 


him take Christ as his own Saviour, and give up his 
soul into Christ’s hands; and, ‘“‘ emboldened by the free 
invitation which warrants him to take the waters of 
life freely, let him put in his claim to take gy home 
in his person, merit, power, and love, as his own.’ ’ This 
explicit and distinct closing with. Christ, —by which 
the sinner takes him in all the fulness of his offices and 
benefits, and gives himself to Christ, ‘soul, body, and 
spirit, to be pardoned, sanctified, and saved by him,-— 
is the decisive act by which a convinced iineeniy se- 
cure his safety, and arrive at peace and joy in believing. 
8. The convinced sinner should give utterance to 
his convictions in the language of confession, and. to 
his desires in the language of earnest prayer. Con- 
fession relieves-the mind of much that is painful in 
conviction while it is pent up and restrained in the 
sinner’s heart, and, at the same time, deepens the 
humility which ought to be produced by «it, by bring- 
ing the sinner into immediate converse with a holy 
God. And these effects will the more surely follow, 
in proportion as confession is specific and full: “ He- 
that confesseth his sin, and forsaketh it, shall find 
mercy.” But real conviction produces inw ard desire 3 
and that desire, expressed before God, is prayer. Let 
the sinner pour it out before the Lord, nothing doubt- 
ing, that, “ his ear is not heavy that it pene hear, 
neither hia arm shortened that it cannot save.”. > Let 


» 


wed x 


“ 3.23 


_ OO" AN ADDRESS To CONVINCED SINNERS. 


” him pray, in the assurance that he is warranted and 
encouraged to do so, and that God will fulfil his own 
promise, by granting his request. Yea, though he 
be kept long at a distance, and may be tempted to re- 
tire under a feeling of disappointment, let him perse- 
vere, and wait, and seek: Jet him knock loud and 


_ long at heaven’s gate—and take no denial; but wait 


until God himself open the door, and a flood of hea- 
ven’s light bursts on his astonished eye: let him pray 


as fervently as the greatness of his interest demands ; 


and let him pray on until that interest is secured. 

For never should a sinner leave off the exercise of 
_ prayer while the throne of grace is standing, and God, 
~ seated on the throne, is waiting to be gracious there ! 


i, When we address ourselves to sinners who are 


labouring under a conyiction of sinh, there are two 
classes of men, of very different characters, who may 
feel as if they had no interest in our message, and who 
may be in danger of applying it, although in ign 
ways, to the injury of their own souls. 

There are some of God's people who, when they 
hear of the convincing work of the Spirit, and of the 
deep convictions which others have experienced. may 
be unable to discover, in their present state of mind 
any thing that corresponds to what tbey think ough 
to be the experience of every true Christian,—who are 
not conscious of that deep sorrow, and those alarming 
fears, which a sense of sin might be expected to in- 
spire, and who may, therefore, Le ready to questicn 
whether they have yet undergone the great change 


eG 


ae. : tore 


AN ADDRESS TO CONVINCED SINNERS, -q6l oo 


which is essential to salvation. They complain of their 
coldness, and apathy, and unconcern—of the hardness 

of their hearts, the senshi) of their consciences, 
and the want or weakness of that deep heartfelt 
contrition which they ought to feel. Now, to such I 
would say, distress of mind is not the substance of ~ 
true repentance, although it may be its frequent at- : , 
tendant,—and that there may be true conviction, and i 


genuine humility of heart, where there is no ange tgs 


or-sensible remorse. Indeed, contrition is often most 
genuine, and humility most profound, when all that 

is. painful and alarming in conviction has been re-' x. 
moved by a view of the grace and mercy of a forgiving Ay s 


God,-and an all-sufficient Saviour. All that is terri- | aaa 


ble in conviction of sin and wrath may be, and often 4 ie 
is, prevented, or immediately dispelled by a clear view " %, Me 
of the scheme of redemption; and itis enough that ¥ he 
you be really humbled, however little you may be 
distressed ; it is enough if you be emptied of all self- 
righteous dependence, and convinced that you are 

“ wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and 
naked.” Now, ‘your very complaints of the want of 

due bilecliasion on account of sin, may be an evidence 

that you are one of those of whom our Lord speaks 

when he says, “ Blessed are the poor in spirit: Bless- 

ed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, 

for they shall be filled: Blessed are they that mourn, 

for they shall be comforted.” \ It has been truly said, 

“that hardness of heart deeply felt and lamented, 1s 

real softness. A stony-ground hearer, and one seriously 

afraid of remaining such, are two different characters.” 


162 AN ADDRESS TO CONVINCED SINNERS. 


There is, however, another class of men, who, when 
they hear of deep conviction of sin, are conscious of 
nothing in themselves which bears the least resem- 
blance to it; and who may, therefore, be ready to con- 
clude that the exhortations which are addressed to 
such as have experienced it are not applicable to them. 
They may even-suppose that, because sin has given 
them little or no uneasiness, they need give no heed 
to the remedy which is proposed in the Gospel, and 
continue, as they have been, indifferent to the whole 
subject. These men differ from the former, in that 
they cherish their impenitence, and even glory in it; 
but let them beware: the very indifference—the very 
absence of all concern about repentance, is the most 
alarming symptom in their spiritual condition. For 
just as in some cases of disease, the utter want of pain 
is the very worst symptom, and the surest precursor 
of natural death; so this insensibility of the conscience 
—this utter recklessness-in regard to sim—is the worst 
symptom, and the surest precursor of death eternal. 
If they were concerned about their impenitence,—if 
the hardness of their hearts grieved them,—if they 
were humbled because they saw so little, and felt so 
little, of the evil of sin,—these were hopeful symp- 
toms: but utter unconcern—death-like indifference— 
accompanied with no sense of its sinfulness, and no 
desire for its removal,—this is the characteristic of a 
“‘ hard and impenitent heart”—which is alike proud 
and presumptuous in its obstinate resistance to all the 


truths of the Bible, and the teachings of the Spirit. 


se 


THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT, ETC. 163 


CHAPTER VI. 


THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT IN RENEWING THE 
HEART. 


# 


WE come now to consider that great change which is 
so frequently spoken of in Scripture under the various 
names of conversion, repentance, and regeneration ; 
and which is described by the expressive figures of 
passing from darkness to light, and of rising from 
death to life. 

And that we may clearly understand wherein it 
properly consists, and perceive its relation to the truths 
which have already been illustrated, it is important to 
observe,—l. That this great change is usually pre- 
ceded by a preparatory work of instruction and con- 
viction, which differs in different cases in respect to 
its extent, duration, and result; but which, in some 
degree, is necessarily implied, or presupposed, in every 
case of real conversion in adult age. 

There is often a preparation of mind going before 
conversion, by which the mind is fitted for its great 


change,—just as wood, by being dried, becomes ready. 


for catching fire when the torch is applied to it. This 


co Sa 


164 THE WORK OF TUE SPIRIT 


preparatory work consists chiefly in the instruction of 
the understanding, and conviction of the conscience ; 
and is promoted gradually, and often for a long time 
before conversion, by the reading of the Word—by 
the lessons of a Gospel ministry—by Christian society 
and conversation; while it is often more rapidly ad- 
vanced by those dispensations of Providence which 
impress the mind with a sense of the unsatisfying 
and uncertain nature of all earthly good, and which 
bring before it the realities of death, and judgment, 
and eternity. By such means the mind is often in- 
structed, and the conscience awakened, long before 
that change is wrought upon it which is described as 
real, saving conversion. 

‘This preparatory work may be more or Jess extensive. 
Sometimes it amounts to little more than a few occa- 
sional thoughts of God and eternity, by which the 
mind of a sinner is haunted when he least expects 
or wishes to be troubled by them; but which have 
not sufficient power over him to attract: his serious at- 
tention to the things which concern his peace. Some- 
times, again, the sinner is so situated, that, by the 
daily reading of the Word, and by regular attendance 
on ordinances, he acquires, before his conversion, a 
clear and comprehensive acquaintance with all the 
leading doctrines of divine truth; so that he may be 
apt to suppose that little remains to be added to his 
knowledge, until, by the teaching of the Spirit, he 
sees that the light which was in him has been but 
darkness, and that he knew nothing yet as he ought; 
and so conviction of sin may be occasional or con- 


IN RENEWING THE HEART. 165 


stant, and more or less intense, while as yet-he remains 
in an unconverted state. 

This preparatory work may be more or less pro- 
tracted. With some, it issues in immediate conversion, 
as in the case of the thief on the cross; with others, 
it tends gradually and slowly to the same result, as in 
the case of those who stay long at the “ place of the 
breaking forth of children;” while, with not a few 
it stops short of conversion, and leaves them, at the 
end of life, as doubting and undecided as it found 
them. 

For this preparatory work of instruction and con- 
viction may issue in very different results. Whether 
it be considered as the fruit of a man’s natural facul- 
ties exercised on the truths of God’s Word, or.as the 


fruit of a common work of the Spirit on his mind, it. 


is clear that, while it is good and useful in itself, as 
having a tendency, a fitness as. a means in order to 
conversion, it does nevertheless fall frequently short of 
it, and terminates without effecting a saving change. 
It may be the work of the Spirit of God notwith- 
standing. The grace of the Holy Spirit has usually 
been considered and treated of under distinct heads,— 
“as preparing, preventing, working, co-working, and 
confirming.”* And difficult as it may be to assign 
the reason why the Spirit’s grace is more effectual 
in some than in others, there can be no difficulty 
in understanding the causes which render his grace 
ineffectual in the case of many who are convinced 


without being converted. Such persons have been- 


# Owen. 


166 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


instructed in the knowledge of divine truth, and they 
have been visited with occasional, and sometimes 
with deep convictions of conscience; but they fall 
short of conversion—why ? first, because, in the spirit 
of unbelief, they slight the testimony of God, and 
the warnings of their own consciences—resisting the 
light, or refusing to apply the truth to their own 
case :—secondly, because, in the spirit of carnal secu- 
rity, they love a false peace, and refuse to be disturb- 
ed out of their pleasant dreams ; and would willingly 
be let alone to enjoy their fatal slumber :—thirdly, 
because, in the spirit of rebellion against God, they 
cleave to that accursed thing which he denounces, 
their heart's love being given to some sin, even while, 
perhaps, their conscience condemns it :—fourthly, 
because, in the spirit of the world, which is enmity 
against God, they allow other influences,—even “ the 
lust of the eye, or the lust of the flesh, or the pride 
of life’—to wear out and obliterate from their minds 
the impression of God's Word and Spirit; and the 
gay counsel of ungodly companions, or the taunts 
and sneers of mere formalists in religion, or the easy 
doctrines of false teachers, who say, Peace, peace, 
when there is no peace, have greater power over them 
than the combined testimony of their own consciences, 
of God’s faithful ministers, and of his Holy Spirit of 
truth; and lastly, because “ the prince -of the power 
of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children 
of disobedience, leads their will captive to his sway, 
even when it is urged by all the motives of the Gospel 
to repent and be saved.” Oh! it is a fearful case,— 


IN RENEWING THE HEART. 167 


the case of a man—thus enlightened in his under- 
standing—thus convinced in his conscience—thus far 
brought on in the way which leads to conversion 
and yet deliberately stopping short,—wilfully turning 
aside—resolutely resisting all the teaching of God’s 
Word and Spirit ; but it is one which will make it, 
plain on the last day, that, if he perish, it is not be- 
cause he had no knowledge, and no conviction, but 
because he has stifled both. To that man may God 
himself say, “‘ What more could I have done for my 
vine that I have not done for it? Wherefore, when I 
looked that it-should bring forth grapes, brought it 
forth wild grapes?” Even as now, the same God is 
saying to every such sinner, “As I live, saith the 
Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the 
wicked, but that he turn from his way and live: turn 
ye, turn ye; why will ye die, O house of Israel ?” 
‘But while, from these and similar causes, the pre- 
paratory work of instruction and conviction may come 
short of saving conversion, some such work is neces- 
sarily presupposed in that great change ofheart. Not 
that we hold any natural or moral qualification to be 
indispensable for the efficacy of the Spirit’s work ;—no ; 
“the wind bloweth where it listeth,” and the Spimt 
may come suddenly to a heart which, till then, was 
wholly unprepared to receive him. His gifts were 
bestowed on Saul, without any moral qualification, 
when he prophesied; and on Amos, without any 
natural qualification, when the Lord took him as he 
followed the flock, and said to him, Go, prophesy; 
end so, in his converting grace, he called the thief on 


168 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


the cross suddenly, and he converted three thousand 
murderers of the Lord at once on the day of Pentecost. 
Such unexpected and sudden conversions he is often 
pleased to effect, for the purpose of impressing us with 
the reality and the power of his gracious operations on the 
hearts of men,and with the certainty of his continued 

Bes agency in the Church of God. But in other cases, 
previous instruction and education are employed as a 
preparatory means; so that every faculty is filled, 
like pipes laid under ground with the gaseous fluid, 
there is no light, but there is a real preparation for 
light ; and when the Spirit applies the torch, the fluid 
_Lis converted into flame. And, universally, without 
excepting the most sudden conversions, this change 
‘implies and presupposes some knowledge in the under- 

_ standing, and some conviction in the conscience ; they 
, may be suddenly produced ; and simultaneously there 
may be a change of heart, but, in the order of nature, 
that change presupposes these things; for it is a 
change of will, which implies a motive; it consists 
in embracing Christ as a Saviour, and this implies a 
sense of danger; itis called repentance, and this im- 
plies a sense of sin. So that even in the case of the 
most sudden conversion, the understanding must be 
to some extent enlightened, and the conscience con- 
vinced, before that decisive change is wrought in 
which conversion properly consists. Take the remark- 
able case of the malefactor on the cross; and even 
here you will see a preparatory work, of short con- 
tinuance no doubt, but still real, and implying both 
instruction and conviction. Suppose that this sinner 


IN RENEWING THE HEART. 169 


came to the cross with no more knowledge of the 
Saviour than the other who reviled him, still on the 
cross there was presented to his mind as much truth 
as was necessary to convince and convert him. From 
the words of the blasphemers who stood around him, 
who said in mockery, but with truth, ‘“* He saved 
others,’—from the inscription on Christ’s cross, ‘* This 
is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,”—and from 
the prayer of Christ, “ Father, forgive them, for they 
know not what they do,”—from these sources pro- 
ceeded to the soul of this malefactor as much truth as 
was necessary for his conversion; it enlightened his 
mind, it convinced his conscience ; it had power, when 
applied by the Spirit, to make him believe and pray 
—‘* Lord remember me when thou comest into thy 
kingdom.” And so in other cases of sudden conver- 
sion, such as that of Paul, of the Philippian jailer, 
and of the three thousand on the day of Pentecost ; 
although there was no moral qualification of any kind , 
beforehand, the understanding was enlightened, and 
the conscience convinced by such truth as was then 
presented, and this issued in thorough conversion to 
God. 

II. Conversion is not a partial work on any one 
faculty, but a change on every faculty of the mind, | 
whereby the sinner is renewed really, though not perc 
fectly, in the whole man after the image of God. 

It takes effect on the understanding when the un-, 
derstanding is enlightened by the Spirit; on the con- 
science, when the conscience is convinced by the) 


Spirit; on the will, when the will is subdued by the ) 
a 


170 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


Spirit; on the affections, when the affections are puri- 
fied, and refined, and elevated by the Spirit; and on 
the life, when the life is regulated by the Spirit, and 
.conformed to the rule of God’s law. 

As in conversion all the faculties of the soul are 
renewed, and restored to their proper uses and ends, 
so none of them .can be renewed without a renewal 
of every other; and hence the change that is wrought 
in any one of them is often used in Scripture to denote 
the whole of this great work. The terms which are 
employed to describe this change are relative, and 
have each of them a reference to the previous state of 
the soul in that respect wherein it is changed. Thus, 
allumination has respect to the soul as darkened ; 
regeneration to the soul as dead ; repentance to the 
soul as convinced of its sinfulness; conversion to the 
soul as turned from the error of its ways; renovation 
to the soul as renewed after the image which it had 
lost; and these are so inseparably linked together, 
that any one of them is often used to describe the 
whole change which is wrought in the soul by the 
Spirit of God; as when the apostle deseribes it by 
saying, “ God hath shined into our hearts ;” and 
again, ‘ You hath he quickened ;’and again, “ Repent 
and be converted ;” and again, ‘ Whosoever believeth 
shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life.” Such, 
it would seem, is the saving grace of the Spirit, that 
it takes effect alike on the understanding, the con- 
science, the will, the affections, and the practical habits, 
—leaving no part of our nature in its original state, but - 
renewing every part, and restoring it to healthful 


IN RENEWING THE HEART. 71 


exercise. And hence “ all old things pass away, and” 
all things become new;” the understanding obtains 
new light, the conscience new power, the will a new 
bias, the affections a new object, the life a new rule 
and end; so that the whole man is renewed, anda | 
new impress and image stamped upon it. But that~ | 
image is yet imperfect, and far from resembling, in all 
respects, the likeness of Him after whom it is formed. 
No faculty of our nature is left unchanged ; but 
neither is any faculty changed at once into a state of 
perfection. The understanding, the conscience, the 
will, the affections, the habits of a true convert, are 
all brought under the influence of the Holy Ghost; 
but he does not restore them at once to full health 
and vigour; he renews but does not perfect them at 
the time of conversion. Z 
- These views may serve to guard against two errors, : 
—the one consisting in the supposition, which is too | 
apt to be entertained by nominal professors, that a 
few notions infused into the understanding, a few 
convictions awakened in the conscience, a few emo- 
tions excited in the heart, amount to the whole of that 
change which is implied in conversion; the other is 
the apprehension incident to true Christians, that vid 
because they have reason to mourn over the imper- a 
fection of every grace that is the fruit of the Spirit, 
they cannot have been converted or renewed after the 
image of God. These errors lie at the two opposite 
extremes, the one of carnal and unwarranted security, 
the other of Christian doubt and fear. 

III. Conversion properly consists in a sinner being & 


172 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT. 


brought actually, intelligently, and cordially, to close 
and comply with God’s revealed will on the subject of 
his salvation. ! 

Some conviction of sin being wrought in the con- 
science, and some, knowledge of God’s truth imparted 
to the understanding, the sinner is, at the time of his 
conversion, brought to the point; he comes to a final 
decision, a decision which implies at once a firm 
assent of the understanding, in an act of faith, and a 
full consent of the will, in an act of deliberate choice. 
He surrenders himself to the power of God’s truth. 
He submits to God’s revealed will in the matter of his 
salvation. Convinced that he is a great sinner, and 
that Christ is a great Saviour—a Saviour appointed 
by God himself,—qualified alike by the dignity of his 
divine nature, the tenderness of his human sympa- 
thies, and the efficacy of his meritorious work, to save 
unto the very uttermost all that come unto God by 
him,—a Saviour exhibited and proposed to every 
sinner in the general doctrine of the Gospel, and 
declaring his own free and unutterable Jove in its 
universal calls and invitations,—the sinner, taking that 
Gospel as his warrant, comes to Christ, closes with 
him, embraces him in all the fulness of his offices, and 
surrenders himself without reserve into the Saviour’s 
hands, to he washed and justified, and sanctified 
according to the terms of the everlasting covenant. 
This is conversion; this will secure the salvation of 
the sinner, and nothing short of this can. There must 
be a decisive closing with the Gospel call, a final de- 
termination—first, on the part of the understanding ; 


IN RENEWING THE’HEART. _ 173 


and secondly, on the part of the will. We must come 
to a decision ; and believing it to be infallibly certain 
that Jesus is the Christ, the only, but an all-sufficient 
Saviour, we must close with him as he is revealed to 
us in the Gospel, and choose him as “ all our salvation 
and all our desire.” It is not enough that we are 
visited with occasional convictions of sin—so was 
Cain, and so was Herod, and so was Judas; nor is it . 
enough that we acquire some speculative knowledge 
of divine truth—so did Agrippa, who was almost per- 
suaded to be a Christian, and so also did Simon Magus, 
who made such a profession as was sufficient for his 
baptism, and who yet remained “ in the gall of bitter- 
ness, and the bond of iniquity.” Conversion implies 
much more,—it implies an actual, deliberate, and cor- 
dial closing with Christ in his revealed character, and 
a surrender of our souls into his hands. It is a radical 
heart-change, by which the sinner is brought to close 
in right earnest with the Saviour. He may have’been 
troubled in his conscience before, and. moved in his 
affections, and, to a certain extent, instructed in the 
truths of God; but till now, he hesitated, and delayed, 
and doubted ; the bargain was not struck, the cove~ 
nant was not subscribed, the decisive act was not done ; 
but now he is brought to a point,—the business, long 
in negotiation, is about to be finally settled; he sees 
the magnitude of impending ruin—the fearful hazard 
of an hour's delay; and hearing that Christ, and Christ 
only can save him, he believes, and he comes to Christ, 
deliberately and solemnly, to commit his soul into his 
hands, and to embrace him as his own Saviour. 


yh apt: 


174 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


This decisive act of closing with Christ; and com- 
plying with God’s revealed will in the matter of our 
salvation, although it may at first sight appear a very 
simple and easy process, includes in it, I apprehend, 
every thing that is essential to saving conversion, or 
that is declared in Scripture to accompany or flow 
from it. Let the-sinner close with Christ in his serip- 
tural character; in other words, let him have a correct 
apprehension of Christ as he is revealed in the Gospel, 
and cordially believe on him, and choose him as his 
own Saviour, in all the fulness of his offices, and he 
is really from that time a-converted man, however 
defective his knowledge and his experience in many 
other respects may be,—he has already experienced all 
that is essentially involved in that great change, and 
every other consequence which properly flows from 
conversion will ensue. 

This decisive act implies,—1. That he believes Jesus 
to be the Christ ; in other words, that he believes the 
same Jesus who was crucified on the hill of Calvary 
to be the Son of God, manifested in human nature, 
as the Saviour of sinners ; and, as such, executing the 
will of God, acting by his authority, bearing his com- 
mission; nay, anointed with the Holy Ghost as a 
Prophet, to declare God’s infallible truth—as a Priest 
to satisfy God's inflexible justice—and as a King, to 
subject the world to God’s rule; a Christ once cruci- 
fied, but now exalted,—invested with almighty power, 
and able to save unto the very uttermost all that come 
unto God by him. 2. This decisive act of closing with 
Christ in his revealed character, implies that the man 


rs 


IN RENEWING THE HEART» 175 


feels himself to be a sinner ; and, as such, condemned 
by God's law, exposed toGod’s threatenings, and in im- 
minent danger of eternal ruin; while he has no means 
and no power to save himself, but must be indebted to 
a Saviour. 3. It implies that he is willing, or rather 
that he has been made willing, to receive, own, and 
submit to Christ as God’s Anointed One, and in respect 
to every one of his offices, as the Redeemer of God's 
people; that he willingly submits his understanding to 
Christ’s teaching, receiving the truth from his lips, and 
on his authority, as the infallible truth of God; that he 
willingly acquiesces in the method of being justified— 
not by his own righteousness, but by the mghteousness 
of Christ, seeking to be pardoned only through the 
merit of his blood shed on the‘cross, and accepted 
only through the efficacy of his meritorious obedience ; 
and that he willingly subjects Ins heart and life te 
Christ’s royal authority, that his heart may be renew- 
ed and sanctified by Christ’s Spirit, and that his life 
may be governed and regulated by Christ’s law; in a 
word, that he is willing to receive and embrace a 
whole Christ and a whole salvation: and to surrender 
himself unreservedly, soul, body and spirit, into Christ's 
hands, to be saved and sanctified, governed and dealt 
with now and eternally, according to the terms of the 
everlasting covenant. 

Here we have a real thorough conversion ; Whici 
consists mainly and essentially in repentance and faith 
—two gifts of the Spirit which are often used together, 
or even separately, to denote the whole of this great 
change,—repentance indicating what the sinner turns 


176 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


from,—faith, what he turns unto. Conversion is the 
turning point at which he turns out of the broad way 
which leadeth to destruction, and into the straight, 
the narrow way which leadeth unto life. He then 
flees from the wrath to come, and flees to Christ as 
his refuge ; he forsakes the service of sin, and follows 
Christ as his Master ; he shuns perdition, and seeks 
salvation in Christ as his Saviour. Now, repentance 
describes his conversion with reference chiefly to 
what he turns from, and faith describes his conyer- 
sion with reference chiefly to what he turns to; and 
each implies the other, there being no true repentance 
where there is no faith, and no true faith where 
there is no repentance; while both are wrought in 
the soul, at the time of its conversion, by the power 
of the Holy Ghost applying the truth as it is in Jesus. 
from this radical change of heart there flows an out- 
ward change of life, reformation of life proceeding 
from a renewed mind; first, “ the tree is made good, 
and the fruit becomes good also ;” the fountain is puri- 
fied, and the stream that flows from it is also pure. 
The production of true faith is often spoken of 
in Scripture as amounting to the whole work of re- 
generation,—“ Whoso believeth that Jesus is the 
Christ, is born of God.” And again, “ To as many 
as received him, to them gave he power to become 
the sons of God, even to as many as believed on his 
name; which were born not of blood, nor of the will 
of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” 
Here every one who really believes is said to be born 
of God; and as every true believer is a converted 


IN RENEWING THE HEART. 177 


man, it follows that the production of saving faith is 
equivalent to the work of regeneration. 

But then it must be a real scriptural faith—such 
as is required in the Gospel; not the faith which the 
Apostle James declares to be dead, but that living 
faith which is described in Scripture as a well-ground- 
ed belief resting on the sure testimony of God; a 
positive belief,—not a mere negation, or absence of 
disbelief, nor a doubtful and wayering opinion, but a 
thorough conviction of mind; an intelligent belief, 
such as is inconsistent with blind ignorance, and im- 
plies a perception of the meaning of God’s truth; a 
full and comprehensive belief, embracing all that is 
essential to be known in regard to the method of  sal- 
vation ;—this belief, implying scriptural apprehensions 
of God in his true character—of Christ in his person, 
as Immanuel, in the fulness of his offices as Mediator, 
his great design and his finished work—and of our- 
selves, as guilty, depraved, and exposed to a sentence 
of righteous condemnation ;—this belief, thus founded 
on God’s testimony, and implying spiritual apprehen- 
sions of his truth, is a vital, active, and operative 
principle, bending the will to a compliance with God’s 
call,—awakening suitable emotions of reverence, fear, 
complacency, delight, love, and joy,—renewing, trans- 
forming, purifying the soul, and effecting a complete 
change on all our practical habits. The production 
of this real, living, and sanctifying faith, is the great 
work of the Spirit. in conversion,—a work which im- 
plies or produces a universal change on all the faculties 
of our nature; so that as soon as this faith is im- 


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178 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


planted in his soul, the sinner becomes a new man,— 
the truth of God, received by faith, renewing his un- 
derstanding, his conscience, his will, his desires, his 
affections—‘“ old things pass away, and all things be- 
come new.” 

Every believer, then, in the Gospel sense of that 
term, is born again; in other words, no one is a 
believer who is not regenerated, nor is any adult re- 
generated who is not a believer. The production of 
saving faith is that wherein regeneration properly con- 
sists. But then it must be such a faith as the Gospel 
requires and describes; and that faith, although it 
may have its seat in the understanding, implies a 
change in our whole moral nature, and especially a 
renewal :of the will. The understanding is, in the 
order of nature, the leading and governing faculty of 
the soul, and it is by means of truth cordially be- 
lieved, that the great change is accomplished. But 
the truth is either not duly understood, or not really 
believed, where it works no change on the heart and 
habits of the sinner. He may read, and speak, and 
speculate about it—he may even embrace some frag- 
ments of it, and hold them tenaciously as the shib- 
boleth of his party; but the substantial truth of 
Christ’s Gospel cannot be really understood and be- 
lieved by any man who remains unconverted.” He is 
an unbeliever, if he be unregenerate. An unregene- 
rated believer, or a regenerated unbeliever, are expres- 
sions which have no counterpart in the Word of God. 
And if it be so, then is it certain, that the production 
of true Gospel faith is equivalent to being born again. 


Py 


IN RENEWING THE HEART. 179 


It is true that many an unregenerate man may sup- 
pose that he believes,—he may never have questioned 
the general truth of God’s Word,—he may even have 
ranged himself on the side of the Gospel, and bya public 
profession, or in private conversation, he may have 
often defended and maintained it,—nay, he may have 
had many thoughts passing through his mind—-many 
convictions awakened in his conscience, which show 
that he is not altogether ignorant or unimpressed ; 
and sometimes under a Gospel ministry, he may, like 
the stony-ground hearers, have heard the. message 
with emotions of delight and joy, and, like Herod, 
he may have gone forth and done many things in 
compliance with the preacher's call; and in such a 
case, it may seem to be a hard saying to atirm, that 
after all his reading, and hearing, and doing, he is, 
or may be, an unbeliever still ; yet I apprehend that 
nothing can be plainer from the Word of God, than 
that these transient impressions may often be expe- 


rienced by an unconverted man, and that the man 


who is not regenerated and transformed by his faith, 
has no true faith at all, He may not question the 
truth—but neither does he fully understand and firmly 
believe it ; he may embrace a part of it—but the sub- 
stance of Gospel truth he excludes from his thoughts ; 
instead of yielding his mind up wholly and unresery- 
edly to its subduing and transforming power, he holds 
down or suppresses the truth in unrighteousness ; and 
by a thousand shifts and expedients, the man who is 
unwilling to be brought wholly under its influence, 
contrives to shut it out, while at the same time, he 


: ean oe ae 


~ “4 


, 


180 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


may make a profession of a general faith. The mind 
which is unwilling to be thoroughly renewed, mani- 
fests its unwillingness, not by refusing to obey the 
truth after it has been firmly believed, but, at an 
earlier stage, by shutting its eyes to whatever in that 


truth is offensive to its taste. 


IV. One characteristic difference betwixt the pre- 
paratory work of. instruction and conviction, which is 
often experienced by unconverted men, and the effec- 


¥ tual work of saving conversion, consists in this,—that, 


in the latter case, all voluntary resistance to God’s 
gracious will is overcome, and the sinner is made 


‘willing to close with the Gospel call. 
8 Pp 


Every sinner’s heart offers resistance to God's truth. 
There is a resistance arising from unbelief, which re- 
fuses. to receive his testimony; there is a resistance 
arising from pride, which repels his charges and ac- 
cusations ; there is a resistance arising from the natu- 
ral enmity of the carnal mind, which opposes itself to 
his authority ; there is a resistance arising from the 
prevailing love of sin, which recoils from the purity 
and spirituality of his service. Hence many a man 
who has experienced much of a common work of con- 
viction, and who has acquired some’ clear knowledge 
of the scheme of divine truth, is nevertheless found to 
stop. short, and stand still, or turn aside, when he 
seems to be in a promising way towatds conyersion— 
just because, when it comes to the point, he cannot 
make up his mind to a full and cordial reception of 
the Gospel: conyineed as he is, and perhaps troubled 
with his convictions of sin and danger, and enlightened 


IN RENEWING THE HEART. - 181 


as he is in the knowledge of that way of salvation 
which the Gospel reveals, he would willingly grasp at 
some of those blessings which it holds out to him; 
willingly, most willingly, would he secure. the pardon 
of his sins, and exemption from the wrath to come, 
and some good hope of a happy, or at least a safe eter- 
nity ;—but when he looks into the Gospel, and finds 
that, if he would close with Christ, he must close with 
him out and out, —that if he would obtain pardon, he 
must take a new heart along with it,—that if he would 
be saved from hell, he must consent to be made meet 
for heaven,—that he must receive the Holy Spirit into 
his heart, and live under the power of faith, and walk 
in the path of humility, and self-denial, and devoted- 
ness to God,—that he must deny himself, and take up 
his cross, and follow Christ,—and that he must submit 
lo be saved from his sins ;—oh! then he finds that 
there ismuch in the Gospel which he most earnestly 
desires to secure, but much also in the same Gospel, 
and inseparable from it, which he is most anxious to 
shun ; he hesitates—he would take a free pardon, but 
he will not take a full Gospel salvation—his heart 
recoils from it; and, at this point, this critical, this 
decisive point, when he is choosing for eternity— 
choosing betwixt life and death, betwixt heaven and 
hell—at this decisive point, when the full salvation is 
freely offered, and placed at his acceptance, and his 
eternal welfare might be secured by his willingly 
taking it, here, when nothing but his own unwill- 
ingness stands in the way, he pauses—he stops—he 
will not yield—he falls short of conversion. 


—* 


182 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


Such is the case of aman half convinced, half per- 
suaded to be a Christian ; and it affords a melancholy 
confirmation of the Scripture doctrine, that it is the 
sinner’s unwillingness that constitutes the only bar to 
his conversion—the sure and equitable ground of his 
future condemnation. And if this be the great cha- 
racteristic difference betwixt such a man and a true 
convert, it follows that a real willingness to close with 
Christ, and to receive a full salvation,—that this, al- 
though a simple, is a strong and sure evidence of con- 
version to God. It is this, indeed, which is every 
where set forth in Scripture as the turning point—the 
crisis—the decisive change. Every man that is really 
willing to be saved-in the full Gospel sense—to be 
saved out and out without exception and without 
reserve—has really undergone a change such as no 
human power could accomplish. No man who is 
really willing, in this sense, to come. to Christ, and to 
close with him, has ever been, or ever will be, sent 
empty away. It is the will on which all depends. 
If the will be ranged on the side of God and Christ, 
it was the Spirit that placed it there; if the will be 
changed, all is changed ; if the will be won over to 
the Gospel, the Gospel is won over, with all its bless- 
ings and promises, to the sinner’s side. 
lr V. This decisive change admits of no degrees, and 

/is substantially the same in all cases, while it is cir- 
~cumstantially different. Conversion may be preceded 
by certain preparatory means, which have a fitness 
and tendency towards it; and. it may be followed by 
an after-growth; but, in itself, it is a quickening of 


be 


IN RENEWING THE HEART. 183 


the soul, by which it passes from death unto life;—and 
a decisive change, by which it is translated from the 
kingdom of darkness, and brought into the kingdom 
of God’s dear Son. 

There is no one point in its history at’ which it can 
be said of any soul, that it is neither converted nor 
unconverted. Conversion admits of no degrees.- A 
man may be more or less wicked in his natural state, 
and he may be more or less holy in his regenerate 
state; but he cannot be more or less converted ; he 
must either be converted or unconverted—regenerate 
or unregenerate—alive or dead. ‘There is no medium. 
Every man who is not converted, is a mere natural, 
unregenerate man, however rational, moral, and amia- 
ble he may be in the common relations of life. __ 

This decisive change is, in. substance, the same in 
all; while it admits of endless diversity in the circum- 
stances by which it is accompanied. The varieties 
that may occur in the experience of true converts, are 
almost infinite. Some are suddenly converted as soon 
as their thoughts -are arrested, and fixed on divine 
truth ; others are carried on, gradually, along a protract- 
ed course of preparatory instruction. Some are visited 
with deep convictions of sin, and terrible alarm of 
conscience ; others no sooner see-their sins than they 
are enabled to rejoice in the remedy. Some are ex- 
cited and agitated, even to the disturbing of the bodily 
functions ; others meekly receive the ingrafted Word, 
and drink in the dew of heaven quietly, as the silent 
flower. All these varieties may occur; and it is im- 
portant to mark them; because we are thus guarded 


184 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


against the error of seeking, in our experience, all 
the circumstantials which we have heard or read of, 
as accompanying the conversion of others. The ex- 
perience of others is not, in these respects, a rule 
to us; the Spirit acts how he will, and exercises a 
sovereignty in this matter: it is enough if we have 
the substance of true conversion. Now, that sub- 
stance is the same in all: it consists in true faith— 
such faith as subdues the will, and closes with Christ 
according to the terms of the covenant; in other 
words, it consists in a change of mind and heart, by 
which it turns from sin unto God through Jesus Christ ; 
and he who can find the evidence of this change in 
himself, need feel no alarm about the absence of mere 
sorcun stantial and non-essential accompaniments. 

VI. This decisive change is wrought by the truths 

of God’s Word, applied and rendered effectual by the 
“Holy Ghost. The Spirit of God is the agent by whom 
this work is wrought, It is every where ascribed to 
him in Scripture. He opens the eye; He enlightens 
the mind ; He works in us both to will and to do of 
his good pleasure. The truths of God’s Word are the 
means by which the Spirit effects this change in the 
case of adult persons. 

We are “ born again, not of corruptible seed, but 
of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth 
and abideth for ever.” “ The law of the Lord is per- 
fect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord 
is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the 
Lord are right, rejoicing the heart : the commandment 
of the Lord is pure enlightening the eyes.” «I have 


IN RENEWING THE HEART. 185 


begotten you by the Gospel.” These, and similar 
expressions, clearly.show that the Word, or the trath 
contained in the Word, is the instrument by which 
the Spirit of God accomplishes the great change of 
mind and heart which is implied in saving conversion. 
Many questions have been raised upon this point, and 
agitated with great keenness,—as whether the Spirit’s 
influence is exerted mediately, or immediately, on the 
mind, by a direct physical impulse, or by intermediate 
moral means ;* and whether, in the order of nature, 
the illumination of the mind be prior or subsequent to 
the production of a spiritual principle in the heart :+ 
but, for my present purpose, it is unnecessary to dis- 
cuss these questions,—it being acknowledged on all 
hands, that the truth contained in the Word is instru- 
mentally useful as a means in the hand of the Spirit. 
And even were it impossible to explain the mode of 
his operation, we shall find no difficulty in admitting 
its reality notwithstanding, if we bear in mind that it 
is “a new creation” of which we speak—a superna- 
tural change—such as cannot, in all respects be ex- 
plained any more than the creation of the world itself; 
for “ the wind bloweth where it listeth, and we can- 
not tell whence it cometh, or whether it goeth ; and so 
is every one that is born of the Spirit.” 

The truth is so applied by the Spirit as to be shade | 
effectual for conversion. It accomplishes the design 
for which it is fitted and intended; it convinces the 
understanding; it carries the will along with it. 
The call of the Gospel takes effect, and becomes 


* Dr. Payne’s Lectures, p. 371, + Fuller, M‘Lean, Dwight. 
N 


186 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


effectual calling, when the sinner is thus enabled and 
disposed to close with it. The work of the Spirit 
includes moral suasion; but it is also “a work of 
power.” (Eph. 1.19.) We are madea “ willing 
people in the day of his power.” On this point alsoa 
question has been raised,—whether the grace of the 
Spirit be irresistible or not? It is clear that uncon- 
verted men are charged with “resisting the Holy 
Ghost ;” for “ God strives with them, and they strive 
against God:” but that grace which they resist is 
rendered effectual in the case of all who believe, not 
by virtue of any power in themselves, but by God’s 
power, “ who worketh in them both to will and to do 
of his good pleasure.” And to those who are inclined 
to deny the efficacy of the Spirit’s grace, I would only 
suggest the question,—what do you pray for when 
you implore God to enlighten, to sanctify, and com- 
fort you? Is it merely that he would give you the 
means of instruction, and sanctification, and comfort ? 
or is it not rather that he would make these means 
effectual in your experience, by dispelling your dark- 
ness and subduing your corruptions, and saving you 
by his mighty power? All your speculative doubts 
on this point. will vanish, if oe will ge: consider 
the import of your own prayers.* 

VII. Regeneration implies a great deal more than 
mere moral amendment, or external reformation of 
life. It is a change of heart. “ The tree must be 
made good before the fruit can be good.” A new 
birth is essential to a new life. There is no real 


* Owen. 


“IN RENEWING THE HEART. 187 


holiness, except what springs from a renewed heart. 
* That which is born of the flesh is flesh: that which 
is born of the Spirit is spirit.” 

This decisive change is so important, that our eter- 
nal welfare depends upon it,—our state and relation 
to God here, and our everlasting destiny hereafter. 
Converted, or unconverted—that is the great question. 
If converted,—then pardoned, safe, sanctified, inte- 
rested in all the privileges and in all the promises of 
the Gospel. If unconverted,—then unforgiven, unsafe, 
unsanctified, destitute of all interest in any one privi- 
lege or promise of the Gospel. 

Were the question asked,—are you converted ? yari- 
ous answers might be returned to it, if every reader 
would only express what is passing in his own mind. 
—Some might answer at once—no; we have no hesi- 
tation, no difficulty in coming to a decision: the in- 
most. feelings of our hearts, and the whole habits of 
our lives, testify, with sufficient plainness, that we 
have not been converted: we see no need, and feel 
no desire for so great a change !—-Some others might 
say—yes ; we believe ourselves to be converted. But 
of these there may be two very different classes,—the 
one, who really are what they profess themselves to be; 
the other, who have a name to live, while they are 
dead.—Many more might say—we are in doubt as to 
this matter; we cannot fully determine whether we 
have yet undergone so great a change; we fluctuate be- 
twixt assurance and doubt—betwixt hope and fear. 
And of these also there may be two distinct classes, — 
the one really converted, although they know it not; 


4, 


‘188 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


the other, as really unconverted, although they fancy 
that they have some reason to think they may have 
undergone some slight change. 

Now it belongs not ‘to man to decide as to the con- 
dition of individuals; every one must decide for him- 
self. But the transcendent importance of the subject, 
as one on which’ the eternity of every soul depends, 
affords a strong reason why we should come to some 
decisive determination. 

In regard to those who are in doubt as to their 
spiritual condition, I admit at once that a man may 
be really converted, and yet may not be so fully aware 
of the change that has been wrought upon him, as to 
be able to use the strong language of the full assu- 
rance of hope: but they ought to be reminded that 
it is their duty to “give all diligence to make their 
calling and election sure:” and not to sink into in- 
difference and security when, according to their own 
confession, every thing that most nearly concerns them 
in time and in eternity is in doubt. Mere doubt as 
to the fact of a saving change having been already 
wrought, may not be a sufficient evidence of their 


: being unconverted ; but indifference, sloth, and secu- 


rity, existing along with such doubts, and cherished 
while the soul is yet at this awful uncertainty—these 
are evil symptoms, and should be seriously considered. 
Pray that you may be converted, and that your calling 
and election may be made sure. 

But may a man, who is in doubt as to his being 
yet converted, or who has reason to think that, as yet, 
he is unregenerate,—may such a man pray ? I answer 


mw) rs 


a 


IN RENEWING THE HEART. 189 


_ unquestionably; nay, a really unregenerate person 
may be exhorted to pray for regenerating grace. Wit- 
ness the apostle’s words to Simon Magus—words which 
proceed on a great general principle—viz., that what- 
ever God requires in a way of duty, we should do, in 
dependance on his grace to help us. The unregenerate 
man has duties that are required of him; and it can- 
not be thought that his present condition, however 
depraved and helpless, releases him from the obligation. 
The danger of his present state should urge him to 
pray, and seek, and knock ; while the gracious promise 
of the Holy Spirit should encourage him. That pro- 
mise is indefinite, and is exhibited and proposed in 
the general doctrines, and calls, and invitations of the 
Gospel, so as to afford a sufficient warrant for faith to 
every sinner in drawing near to God. 


190 THE RESULT OF THE 
J 


CHAPTER VII. 


THE RESULT OF THE SPIRIT’S WORK IN CON- 
VERSION. 


Tue grand result of the Spirit’s work in conversion, 
is described by the apostle, when he says, ‘‘ Therefore, 
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old 
things are passed away ; behold, all things are become 
new. * 

I. When a sinner is converted to God, he is said 
in Scripture to be united to Christ. He becomes a 
living member of that spiritual body of which Christ 
is the head ; and it is from his union with Christ that 


he derives all those blessings which he enjoys now, or 


Ce ~ hopes to enjoy hereafter. In virtue of this union, he 


“ve 
oft 


is identified, as it were, with Christ, and Christ with 
him; insomuch, that he is represented as having died 
with Christ when he died, and as having risen with 
Christ when he arose from the dead; his sins are 
reckoned to Christ’s account, and Christ's righteous- 
nessis imputed to him; so that, as Christ suffered 
his punishment, he will share in Christ’s reward: he 
is “ a joint heir with Christ,” and has an interest in 


#2 Cor, v. 17, 


SPIRITS WORK IN CONVERSION. 19] 


every privilege or promise which God has given to his 
Son on behalf of his people. The legal or judicial — 
effect of this union, is his entire justification, the par- 


don of his sins, the acceptance of his person; hig, § *% 745 
adoption into God’s: family, and his final admission M4 pe 
into heaven. And to this effect of his union with . 


Christ the apostle refers, when he says,—“ Yea doubt- 

less, and I count all things but loss for the excellency 4 
of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom 

I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count 
them but dung, that Imay win Christ, and be found in 

him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of 

the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, 

the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I 

may know him, and the power of his resurrection, 

and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made con- ™ 
formable unto his death; if by any means I might 
attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”—But there 
is another effect of this union which is equally impor- 
tant. By being united to Christ as a member of his 
spiritual body, he comes to be animated by that Spirit | 
which pervades it,—the Spirit of Christ, which is,as’ ~ A 
it were, the vital power of his body, and which actu- 
ates every member belonging to it,—the Spirit with 
which the. Head was anointed, and by reason of 
which he was called the Christ of God, being like the % 
ointment which was poured on the head of Aaron, and: m 
which went down to the skirts of his garment. Every 

member of his body shares in this anointing, and the 

spiritual effect of this vital union is, that “from Christ co s 
the Head, the whole body fitly joined together, and 


192 THE RESULT OF THE 


compacted by that which every joint supplieth, accord- 
ing to the effectual working in the measure of every 
part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying 
of itself in love.” Or, as the same truth is elsewhere 
represented under another figure,—every believer is 
a branch in Christ, the true vine ;. and from Christ 
derives that sap and nourishment which renders him 
fruitful; ‘“‘ Abide in me, and I in you. As the 
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in 
the vine; no more can ye, except ye abidein me. I 
am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in 
me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much 
fruit ; for without,” or out of, ‘‘ me ye can do nothing.” 

Such is the union which is declared to subsist be- 
tween Christ and his people, and in virtue of which 
every converted man is said to be “in Christ.” If we 
inquire by what means this union is effected, or how 
it is that we may be grafted into the vine, we shall 
find that it is—by faith. Faith is the bond which 
- unites the sinner with the Saviour. No unbeliever is 
in Christ—no believer is out-of Christ. Nominal and 
formal professors may be said, indeed, to be in Christ 
externally or apparently, by reason of their connection 
with his visible body, the Church; and to their case 
our Lord seems to refer when he says, ‘“‘ Every branch 
in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away,”—refer- 
ring to fruitless and faithless professors, who are as 
withered branches that receive no vital sap or nourish- 
ment from the vine to which they seem to belong; 
but the reason is, that they have no faith—his Word 
does not abide in them, nor does his Spirit animate 


SPIRIT’S WORK IN CONVERSION. 193 — 


them. That which constitutes the vital union is FAITH. 
The Jews, the natural branches, were broken off 
because of unbelief; and, says the apostle, “ Thou 
standest by faith. Thou wert cut out of the olive tree, 
which is* wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary 
to nature into a good olive tree.” The Jews, the 
natural branches, were in this tree, as members of 
God’s visible Church ; but through unbelief they were 
broken off: the Gentiles, who were branches of a 
wild olive, and had no connection at all with the true 
vine, were grafted in by faith; so that in both cases 
—faith is the bond of union. 

II. Now, of every man who is thus united to Christ, 
it is said, he is a new creature—or, that there isa new 
creation. And if we would understand the import of 
this statement, or what is meant by the new creation 
here spoken of, we may derive much instruction from 
a comparison of two other passages (Gal. vi. 15, and 
v. 6), where the same expression occurs, and which 
throw much light on each other, and also on the text. 
In the first, the apostle says, “ In Christ Jesus neither 
circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, 
but @ new creature ;” and, in the second, he says. “In 
Jesus Christ, neither circumcision availeth any thing, 
nor uncircumcision 3 but farth which worketh by love ;” 
and from a comparison of the two, we may infer that 
by anew creature in the one, he means the same thing 
as is described by “ faith which worketh by love” 
in the other; or, that “ faith working by love” is the 
new creation which is wrought in the soul of a sinner 
when he is converted to God, and united to Christ. 


194 ‘THE RESULT OF THE 


The production of true faith is often spoken of in 
Scripture as equivalent to the whole work of regene- 
ration: “ Whoso believeth that Jesus is the Christ, 
is born of God;” “ and he that believeth shall not 
come into condemnation; but is passed from death 
unto life :” “he that believeth on the Son hath ever- 
lasting life ;” and “ being justified by faith, we have 
peace with God'through our Lord Jesus Christ, by 
whom also we have access by faith into this grace 
wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory 
of God.” But then it must be a vital faith, such 
as is required in the Gospel; a living and active 
principle, serving at once to connect us with Christ, 
and to constrain us to live no longer to ourselves, but 
to him that died for us, and that rose again. Ina 
word, it must be “ the faith which worketh by love.” 
Love is the sum of God’s law, and the spring of all 
acceptable obedience; for, said our Lord himself, 
“‘ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine 
heart: this is the first and great commandment. And 
the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy 
neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments 
hang all.the law and the prophets ;’—and, says the 
apostle, “Love is the fulfilling of the law.” Now 
love is the spring which faith touches, and through 
which it brings into play every faculty of soul and 
body in the service of God. The Gospel, being a 


message of love from God, cannot be believed without . 


awakening a responsive love in our own bosoms: we 
will, we must love him, because he first loved us ; and 
loving him, we will love one another for his sake; and 


% 


te 


SPIRIT’S WORK IN CONVERSION. _ 195 


if it be true, that “ whosoever believeth that Jesus is 
the Christ is born of God,” it is equally true that every 
child of God must love his Father in heaven, and that 
“every one that loveth him that begat, loveth those 
also that are begotten of him.” The Gospel message 
is fitted to call this powerful principle into operation ; 
and wherever it does so, we see the Gospel fulfilling 
the very end of the law,—we see faith producing that 
love which is the bond of perfectness, and through 
love, all the peaceable fruits of righteousness. And 
thus, and thus only, is the whole character changed, 
and changed so thoroughly, as to justify the strong 
language of the apostle, when he says, “Therefore 
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old 
things are passed away; behold, all things are become 
new.” 

You cannot fail to see the connection between the two 
clauses of the passage, when they are thus explained : 
we are united to Christ by faith, and the new creation 
consists in “ faith which worketh by love ;” so that it 
follows, “‘ if any man be in Christ, he is a new crea- 
ture: old things are passed away; behold, all things 
are become new.” 

It is of considerable practical importance to view 
the subject in this light, not only because it affords a 
clear and definite explanation, in a few comprehen- 
sive words, of all that is essentially implied in the new 
creation, but also because it may serve to guard us 
against two very opposite errors, into one or other of 
which many hearers of the Gospel are apt to fall. 
Some, when they read of the great change which must 


+e 


196 THE RESULT OF THE 


be wrought on a sinner before he can enter into the 
kingdom of God, and are visited with some remorse- 
ful reflections on the carelessness or delinquencies of 
their past life, are so far impressed with God’s truth, 
as to resolve.on breaking off some of their former 
habits, and may actually begin a work of outward 
reformation,—forsaking the tavern and the haunts of 
profligacy, and the company of the careless and pro- 
fane ; and repairing to church, and sacrament, and 
assuming the outward observances of a religious life. 
Far be it from us to discourage or despise these prac- 
tical reforms,—they are included in the duty which 
you owe to God and your own souls; and they will 
materially promote your present comfort, as well as 
bring you more frequently and more hopefully into 
contact with the means of grace. Persevere, then, in 
the course of outward amendment, and in the practi- 
cal work of self-reform. But oh! remember, lest even 
your amendment should become a snare to you,—that 
a nen creationis God's work,—that it consists, not in 
amendment of life merely, although that will assuredly 
flow from it, but in a change of mind and heart; and 
that the only root on which the fruits of true righ- 
teousness will grow, is ‘“ faith that. worketh by love.” 
Mere civil virtue may spring from many roots,—from 
law, from policy, from prudence, from education, from 
example ; but Christian virtue is the fruit and pro- 
duct of Christian faith. The nature of the fruit depends 
on the nature of the tree: first make the tree good, 
says our Lord, and the fruit will be good also: let the 
heart be changed, and the life will be reformed; but 


SPIRITS WORK IN CONVERSION. 197 


if you rest in mere outward reformation, while you are 
destitute of the “ faith that worketh by love,” you are 
only “ cleansing the outside of the cup and platter,” 
and you will resemble whited sepulchres, which are 
outwardly beautiful, while they inclose a mass of 
putrid corruption. It is by faith that you must be 
justified ; it is by the same faith, working by love, 
that you must be sanctified ; and any external refor- 
mation that is grafted on another stock, although it 
may have the semblance of sanctification, has nothing 
in it of its substance, and will neither suffice for your 
safety now, nor for your welfare hereafter. This is 
the first great error against which you should be 
warned by the doctrine of the apostle, when he de- 
clares, that in Christ Jesus, nothing that is merely 
external or ceremonial will avail you, but “a new 
creation ;” and when he tells you that this new crea- 
tion consisteth mainly in the production of * faith 
that worketh by love.” 

But there is another error, at the opposite extreme 
from the former, which is equally dangerous, and 
which, it is to be feared, not a few are prone to em- 
brace. Some, when they read of the privileges and 
promises which are given to faith,—when they hear 
that ‘‘ whoso believeth that Jesus is the Christ is 
born of God,” and that “ he that believeth shall not 
perish, but shall have everlasting life,” — immediately 
conclude, that because they have never questioned the 
truth of the Gospel, and have, on the contrary, ac- 
quired a good measure of speculative knowledge, and 
ranged themselves on the side of those who profess the 


¢ 


= 


198 THE RESULT OF THE 


faith of Christ, they need give themselves no uneasi- 
ness,—their creed is sound,—their orthodoxy is un- 
questionable; and they flatter themselves, therefore, 
that their souls are safe. Oh! would to God that a 
sound creed were always combined with a new heart, 
and that an orthodox profession were never separated 
from a holy and_spiritual character ; but God’s Word, 
as well as our own experience, testifies the reverse. 
And hence the necessity of urging the great principle, 
that “ faith without works is dead,”—that speculative 
knowledge is nothing if it have no spiritual fruits,— 
and that, if any man be in Christ, “‘ he is a new crea- 
ture: old things are passed away; behold, all things 
are become new.” 

When a man believes so as to be united to Christ, 
his faith worketh by love, so as to change his whole 
character ; and for this reason he is said to be a new 
creature, and to have “ put off the old man with his 
deeds; and to put on the new man, which is renewed 
in knowledge after the image of him that created him.” 
And that we may understand the nature and extent 
of that change which is wrought on a sinner at the 
time of his conversion to God, and union with Christ, 
—TI observe, 

1. He is a new creature, because he is brought 
into a new state ; or, in other words, because his rela- 
tion to God is entirely changed. Formerly he was in 
a state of wrath ; for the “ wrath of God is revealed 
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteous- 
ness of men ;”’—now he is in a state of peace; for 


‘‘being justified by faith, we have peace with God 


SPIRITS WORK IN CONVERSION. 199 


through our Lord Jesus Christ ;’—formerly he was 
in a state of enmity; for “ the carnal mind is enmity 
against God ;”’—now heis in a state of reconciliation ; 
for “ them that were sometime alienated, and enemies 
in their minds by wicked works, yet now hath Christ 
reconciled ;”-—formerly he was in a state of imminent 
danger, ‘ without Christ, without God, and without 
hope in the world,” but now he is in a state of perfect 
safety; for “if God be for us, who can be against us?” 
‘* All things are yours; for ye are Christ’s, and Christ 
is God’s.” Thus thoroughly is the state and condition 
of a sinner changed when he is united to Christ: he 
is brought, as it were, into a new world,—every thing — 
assumes a new aspect—he has passed from death unto 
life. and exchanged the bondage of Satan for the 
liberty of a child of God. 

2. He is a new creature, because, under the teach- . 
ing of the Spirit, he has acquired new views,—new 
views of himself, his nature, his character, his sins, his 
duties, his trials, his proper business, his everlasting 
prospects,—new views of life, its vanity, its shortness, 
its uncertainty, its real nature and momentous impor= 
tance, as the only season of preparation for eternity,— 
new views of the world—its gorgeous pageantry, and 
broken cisterns, its deceitful and ensnaring pleasures, 
its destructive lusts, its utter repugnance and opposi- 
tion to God,—new views of the truth, that same truth 
with which he may have long been familiar as it is 
presented in the letter of Scripture, or in the terms of 
an orthodox catechism or creed, but to which he now 
attaches a new meaning—his eye being opened to see 


200 THE RESULT OF THE 


and his heart to feel, its spirituality, its certainty, ite 
awful magnitude and importance with relation to his 
own soul: God has shined into his heart, to give him 
the light of this knowledge, and he feels as if a veil had 
been removed from before his eyes; so that, although he 
may still see only as “‘ through a glass darkly,” and per- 
haps at first morte confusedly still, as did the man who 
‘¢ saw men as trees walking, ‘still he is ready to exclaim, 
“one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now 
T see.”—He has now new views of God,—his infinite 
nature, his perfect character, his wonderful works, his 
ways in Providence, his purpose and plan of grace ;— 
these things, which were formerly dark and doubtful, 
or which had no power to arrest and fix his thoughts, 
or which flitted before his fancy as shadowy and un- 
substantial forms, have now acquired a reality, and a 
power, and a magnitude which render them the most 
frequent objects of his contemplation, and leave a 
sense of awe on his spirit,—insomuch, that whereas 
formerly “ God was not in all his thoughts,” he 
<“‘ now sets the Lord continually before him.”—He has 
new views of sin,—of sin in its relation to God, as 
opposed to every perfection of his character, to every 
precept of his law, and every principle of his govern- 
ment, ‘“ the abominable thing which the Lord hateth;” 
and of sin in its relation to his own soul, exposing it 
to the wrath and curse of God, polluting and defiling 
it, so that it becomes utterly vile. infecting it with 
loathsome spiritual disease, like an overspreading 
leprosy, disturbing, or rather destroying, its inward 
peace; perverting and depraving every one of its 


SPIRIT’S WORK IN CONVERSION. 201 


faculties, and binding them down by an intolerable 
tyranny, in a state of self-imposed bondage;—thus con- 
ceiving of sin, he sees its heinousness, its demerit, and 
the justice of that sentence which God has denounced 
against it; and instead of making light of it, as he once 
did, he feels it to be a heavy burden,—instead of rolling 
it. as asweet morsel under his tongue, he feels it to bea 
root of bitterness; and instead of excusing it, he con- 
demns himself on account of it, saying, “the law is 
holy, and the commandment holy, and just and good ;” 
‘but I am carnal, sold under sin.” He has new views 
of salvation—of its absolute necessity—of its infinite 
value as “‘ the one thing needful,’—the pearl of great 
price, for which he is willing to bear the loss of all 
things, and to count them but dung; “ for what is a 
man profited if he should gain the whole world and 
lose his soul; or what can a man give in exchange for 
his soul ?—of its difficulty, or rather its impossibility, 
in so far as his own resources or efforts are concerned; 
for his new views of God, and of his government— 
of sin, and its demerit, teach him to entertain new 
thoughts also of the conditions on which salvation 
depends, and he is prepared to acquiesce with admi- 
ration and gratitude, in that scheme of grace and re- 
demption which formerly appeared foolishness to him, 
but which now, to his awakened conscience, commands 
itself as “ the wisdom of God, and the power of God.” 
‘¢'The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit 
of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can 
he know them, because they are spiritually discerned ;” 
but when he is converted by the teaching of the Spirit 


— 


202 THE RESULT OF THE 


all his views are changed: doctrines which he was 
at first disposed to ridicule or dispute, come to be re- 
garded as first truths, or self-evident principles, which 
carry their own evidence along with them to an awa- 
kened conscience, and he is as a man awaking out 
of sleep, and exchanging the dreams of night for the 
realities of day—* old things have passed away ; all 
things have become new.” 

. 3. He is a new creature, because he has been en- 
dued with new affections, or rather his affections have 
been directed to new and worthier objects. Formerly 
they were withdrawn from God, and as they must have 
some object, they were centered on some worldly thing 
—power, or pleasure, or wealth, or fame ; and hence he 
was ungodly, as having no supreme affection for God, 
and subject to worldly lusts—<* the lust of the eye, the 
lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.” These lusts 
are not eradicated by conversion ; they may long con- 
tinue to be to the believer what the Canaanites were. 
to the people of Israel,—‘‘ They shall be as thorns in 
your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you; 
that through them I may prove Israel, whether they 
will keep the way of the Lord or not.” But their 
power is broken, when, under the teaching of the 
Spirit, the mind is turned from lying vanities to the 
living God, and new, and holier, and better objects 
are embraced by the heart’s affections. Faith worketh 
by love—love to God as a reconciled and forgiving 
Father, which, springing from a lively sense of his 
mercy in the scheme of redemption, is evermore nour- 
ished and strengthened by new instances and tokens 


SPIRIT’S WORK IN CONVERSION, 203 


of his goodness, and rises at length into a complacent 
esteem, and profound adoration of his essential cha- 
racter, so that he is loved the more in proportion as 
he is better known; and every new discoyery of his 
boundless perfections, every new manifestation of his 
wisdom, and faithfulness, and power, adds fuel to the 
flame of this holy affection :—love to Christ, as God 
and man, uniting in his own person the perfections of 
the divine with the sympathies of the human nature ; 
and endeared by the recollection of what he did and 
suffered, the humiliation to which he submitted, the 
agony which he endured, the lovely graces which he 
exercised, the precious benefits which he purchased, 
and the freeness with which they are conferred. 
Christ is precious to the believer, and “ the love of 
Christ constraineth him ;”—and love to God as his 
Father, and to Christ as his elder brother, is combined 
with, and tends to nourish a disinterested love towards 
his people as brethren, and towards all men as God's 
offspring ; so that he will be ready to ‘ do good to all 
men as he has opportunity, but especially,” as being 
more closely related to them by the most sacred bonds, 
‘“* to such as are of the household of faith.” 

4. As the objects of. his affections are new, so 
also are his desires and aims. Formerly, these were 
directed solely to the world; he knew of nothing 
better, and cared for nothing more than its fleeting 
vanities ; but now they are raised above the world— 
to God as his chief good, and extend beyond the 
world—to heaven as his everlasting home. His su- 
preme desire is to know and enjoy God,—to maintain 


904 THE RESULT OF THE 


communion with him,—to acquire larger views of his 
perfections, and a sweeter sense of his presence,—to 
become conformed to his will, and to be transformed 
into his image. ‘ There be many that say, Who will 
show us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of 
thy countenance upon me. Thou hast put gladness 
into my heart, more than in the time that their corn 
and wine increased.” ‘ My soul followeth hard after 
God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for 
thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and parched 
Jand, to see thy power and thy glory as I have seen 
thee in the sanctuary.” ‘This being his chief end and 
chosen good, his desires will be set on every thing 
that has a tendency as a means to lead towards it; 
and hence his deep concern as to his saving interest 
in Christ,—his earnest prayers for pardoning mercy 
and sanctifying grace,—his patient waiting upon God 
in the way of his own appointment,—and his spiritual 
appetite, when, “ like a new born babe, he desires the 
sincere milk of the word, that he may grow thereby.” 
For spiritual life has its instincts as well as natural ; 
and just as surely as a new-born child will crave the 
food which nourishes the body, so. will a soul that has 
been born again desire and seek after its congenial 
aliment. And seeing that here every thing.is imper- 
fect, and that in its present state he cannot enjoy God 
as he would, he will look beyond the world for the full 
satisfaction of his desires. The world was once his 
all; but now another world, infinitely greater and 
more glorious, has been brought into view; and, 
by its surpassing worth and loveliness, has attracted 


SPIRITS WORK IN CONVERSION. 205 


his affections towards it; so that, in some measure, 
he feels that his citizenship is in heaven,—that his 
home is there,—and that it is alike his duty and his 
privilege to “set his affections on things above, and 
not on things which are on the earth; for the things 
which are seen are temporal, but the things which are 
not seen are eternal.” 

5. He is a new creature, because he has new enjoy- 
ments,—enjoyments springing from the exercise of his 
gracious affections,—from. the enlarged and elevated 
views which have been imparted to his mind,—from 
the blessed privileges of which he has been made a 
partaker,—from the sweetness of that inward peace 
which passeth all understanding,—from the comfort- 
able communion which he holds with God, and the 
new aspect in which every thing within and around, 
above and before him, appears to one who has been 
reconciled to his God. He may have enjoyed nature 
before, and may have looked with rapt. admiration on 
its smiling landscapes, and swelling seas, and peaceful 
lakes; but a new element of joy mingles with his 
thoughts, when, looking on all these in the light which 
religion sheds on them, he can say, “ My Father made 
them all.” He may have delighted in the exercise 
of his faculties before, and may have felt a conscious 
elevation when engaged in some lofty study; but a 
new element of joy is infused into his spirit, when, 
raising his thoughts from things terrestrial to things 
celestial and divine, he contemplates them in the 
light which God himself has shed upon them in his 
Word, and in the delightful assurance, that ‘ what 


206 THE RESULT OF THE 


he knows not now he shall know hereafter.” And go 
he enjoys what he never knew before—peace of con- 
sclence—even the very peace of God which. passeth 
all understanding,—and the blessedness of him whose 
iniquity is forgiven, “ whom God chooseth and maketh 
to approach unto him ;” and finds that, “ in the very 
keeping of his commandments, there is a great re- 
ward, ’—that “‘ wisdom’s ways are ways of pleasant- 
ness, and all her paths are peace.” 

| 6. He is a new creature, because his habits are 


| totally changed, in so far as they were previously 


inconsistent with the will of God. He leaves the 
broad way, and walks in the narrow path. Whatever 
in his previous course of life was at variance with 
God’s law is at once abandoned; whatever duty he 
had formerly neglected, whether religious, personal, 
or relative, he now honestly seeks to discharge. His 
own will is no longer his guide, but God’s will; by 
that unerring rule his whole life is regulated: “Lord, 
what wilt thou have me to do?” is the language of 
his heart, If he had previously been intemperate, or 
dishonest, or profane, or profligate, inattentive to the 
Word, and sacraments, and prayer—the change which 
has been wrought on his spirit will appear in his 
altered habits; and if, as is sometimes the case, he 
had been always decent in his external deportment, 
and regular even in his religious observances, although 
the change will not be so visible to his fellow-men, he 
will be conscious of it in his own bosom,—inasmuch 
as he will now be actuated by new motives, and will 
really feel that he is leading a new life; that what was 


SPIRIT’'S WORK IN CONVERSION. 207 


once form has become power ; and that “old things 
have passed away, and all things have become new.” 

7. Ue is a new creature, because he has now new 
expectations and hopes. He does not merely desire— 
he also hopes to obtain the unspeakable things which 
God has prepared for them that love him. — Seeing 
that life and immortality have been brought to light 
in the Gospel, and that, besides being certified as in- 
fallibly true, the way to reach them has been revealed, 
and a gracious invitation given to betake himself to 
that way, and a promise of all needful grace vouch- 
safed, he conceives the possibility of his being admitted 
to the glory which remaineth to be revealed ; and al- 
though his hope may for a time be feeble, and often 
well nigh extinguished by his remaining corruptions, 
still it 1s within him, and if not sufficiently lively to 
assure, it may be strong enough to sustain him in the 
posture of waiting patiently for God. This hope is 
an anchor to his soul, ‘“‘ both sure and stedfast, entering 
into that which is within the vail;” and it is alto- 
gether a new thing: the unconverted sinner may 
have no.sense of danger, and may cherish a false 
security, but he has no such hope: this is one of 
the fruits of the Spirit, for—the fruit of the Spirit 
is hope.” 

8. He is a new creature, because he has now a new 
experience, and especially a new conflict in his soul,— 
even that same conflict to which the apostle refers in 
Rom. vii., betwixt the law in his members and the 
law of his mind. ‘There is a conflict of which an 
unconverted man may be conscious—-I mean the 


i 


908 THE RESULT OF THE 


conflict betwixt sin and the conscience; but a new 
conflict begins when he is born again, and that is a 
conflict betwixt sin and the will. The difference be- 
twixt the two consists entirely in the position of the 
will. In the former, the will is on the side of sin, 
and both are opposed to the conscience ; in the other, 
the will is on the side of conscience, and both are 
opposed to sin. This may be said to be the charac- 
teristic difference betwixt the converted and the un- 
converted ;—both are subject to an inward conflict, but 
the one is willing to side with conscience, the other 
is willing to side with sin. When the will is made 
to change its position—when it is brought off from its 
alliance with sin, and ranges itself on the same side with 
conscience and God,—the great change is wrought ; 
there may be, there will be a conflict still; for, “there 
is a law in the members warring against the law of 
the mind,” and our whole life must be a warfare; 
and this conflict may be severe, and arduous, and pro- 
tracted,—insomuch, that often the believer may be 
ready to exclaim, “‘Oh! wretched man that I am, 
who shall deliver me !”—but the very existence of such 
a conflict, in which the prevailing bent and disposi- 
tion of the will is on the side of God and holiness, is 
a proof that “‘ we have been renewed in the Spirit of 
our minds,” and that God has begun that good work 
in us which he will carry on unto perfection. 

This experience of a spiritual conflict is really one 
of the new things which belong to the new creature ; 
and I have thus briefly adverted to it, with the view 
of obviating an injurious misapprehension which is 


SPIRITS WORK 1N CONVERSION. 209 


coo apt to be entertained by those who—considering 
the description which is here given of the new crea- 
ture, in whom “ old things have passed away, and all 
things have become new,” and contrasting it with their 
own manifold imperfections and remaining corrup- 
tions—are ready to question whether it can be appli- 
cable to them. Now, you will carefully observe, that 
while it is said that “all things become new,” it is 
not said that any thing is yet made perfect; there isa 
great change—a change so great that it is called, and. 
fitly called, ‘a new creation”—a change in the sin- 
ner’s state, and views, and affections, and desires, and 
enjoyments, and habits, and hopes, and experience, 
such as God only can effect, and such as makes the 
sinner a new man—and to live, as it were, in a new 
world, and to lead a new life ;—but not only is the 
new creature like a new-born child, weak and feeble, 
and destined to grow and gather strength by degrees, 
it is also surrounded and closely connected with 
a body of sin and death; nay sin still dwells, al- 
though it no longer reigns, in the believer's heart: it 
is there, not now as a tyrant, but as a traitor,—not 
as a sovereign, but asa watchful spy ; and he is called 
to watch against it, and to pray against it, and to fight 
against it, until the Lord shall release him from his 
warfare, by calling him to his everlasting reward. 


The most serious question that any man can put 
to himself is, Am I in Christ? To be in Christ, is to 
be safe in life and death, in time and in eternity; to 
be out of Christ, is to stand exposed every hour to 


%. 


oo 


a 


210 THE RESULT OF THE 


the most appalling danger ;—to be in Christ, is to be 
in a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from 
the tempest ;—to be out of Christ, is to stand de- 
fenceless before that storm which will, ere long, burst 
forth to consume his adversaries, and to Sweep away 
every refuge of lies ;—to be in Christ, is to be recon- 
ciled to God, pardoned and accepted ; to be out of 
Christ, is to be at enmity with God, guilty and con~ 
demned ;—to be in Christ, is to be adopted into God’s 
family, as children, and if children, then heirs, heirs 
of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ; to be out 
of Christ, is to be aliens from the commonwealth of 
Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise— 
without Christ, and therefore without God, and with- 
out hope in the world;—to be in Christ, is to be a 
new creature, renewed, sanctified, and made meet for 
glory; to be out of Christ, is to be dead in trespasses 
and sins, polluted in our own blood 3—to be in Christ, 
is to be prepared for death, and judgment, and eter- 
nity; to be out of Christ, is to have nothing but a 
certain fearful looking for of judgment, ‘and fiery in- 
dignation. i 

Would you come to a safe decision as to your pre-" 
sent state, so as to be able to answer the question, Am 
I in Christ or no ?—permit me to suggest another 
question,—Are, you a new creature? « Tf any man 
be in Christ,” says the apostle, “he is a new crea- 
ture ;” he is converted and changed, « so that old things 
pass away, and all things become new.” It is by faith 
that we are united to Christ; and wherever that faith 
exists, it works,—it works by love, and thereby pro- 


SPIRITS WORK IN CONVERSION. otk 


duces the peaceable fruits of righteousness. The 
particulars which have been illustrated may aid 
you in arriving at a safe and satisfactory answer to 
this inquiry, if, in the exercise of serious self-exa- 
mination, and with fervent prayer for the guidance of 
the Spirit, you apply them closely, each to his own 
soul. Are you conscious of having undergone any 
such change as has been described,—any change in 
your views,—any change in the object of your affec- 
tions,—any change in the prevailing bent of your 
desires,—any change in the sources of your most 
cherished enjoyments,—any change in your outward 
habits, or in your inward experience, such as corre- 
sponds with the. account given in Scripture of the 
‘“‘new creation,” or ‘‘ the second birth?’ In prose- 
cuting this momentous inquiry, permit me to cau- 
tion you against the danger of either requiring more, 
or being satisfied with less, than the Bible declares to 
be implied in this great change. Nothing short of a 
new birth—a radical heart change—will suffice ; for 
“ except a man be born again, and born of the Spirit, 
he cannot see the kingdom of God ;” and this should be 
a solemn thought to the careless, and to mere nominal 
Christians,—to those who are at ease in Zion, having 
a name to live, while they are dead. But, on the 
other hand, in seeking to ascertain the state of your 
soul, you must not insist on finding more than what is, 
in your experience or character, essentially implied in 
conversion,—for thus you may unwarrantably deprive 
yourselves of the comfort which God has provided for 
you in the Word. 


212 THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 


Ir is a doctrine of the Confession of Faith, that “ elect 
infants, dying in infancy, are regenerated and saved 
by Christ through the Spirit, who worketh when, and 
where, and how he pleaseth ;” and again, “ That bap- 
tism is a sacrament of the New Testament, ordained 
by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admission of 
the party baptized into the visible Church, but also to 
be unto him a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, 
of his ingrafting into Christ, of regeneration, of re- 
mission of sins, and of his giving up unto God through 
Jesus Christ, to walk in newness of life ;’ that “ not 
only those that do actually profess faith in, and obe- 
dience unto Christ, but also the infants of one or both 
believing parents are to be baptized ;” that “ although 
it be a great sin to contemn or neglect this ordinance, 
yet grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed 
unto it, as that no person can be regenerated or saved 
without it, or that all that are baptized are undoubtedly 
regenerated ;” and that “ the efficacy of baptism is not 
tied to that moment of time wherein it is adminis-~ 


THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 218 


tered; yet notwithstanding, by the. right use of this 
ordinance, the grace promised is not only offered, but 
really exhibited and conferred by the Holy Ghost to 
such (whether of age or infants) as that grace belong- 
eth unto, according to the counsel of God’s own will, 
in his appointed time.” And in the Articles of the 
Church of England, we read, “ Baptism is not only a 
sign of profession and mark of difference, whereby 
Christian men are discerned from others that be not 
christened ; but it is also a sign of regeneration or new 
birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive 
baptism rightly are grafted into the Church, the pro- 
mises of forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be 
the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed 
and sealed, faith is confirmed, and grace increased by 
virtue of prayer unto God.” And “the baptism of 
young children is in any wise to be retained in the 
Church, as most agreeable with the institution of 
Christ.” 

Such is the doctrine of the Churches of England 
and Scotland, and indeed of the Reformed Churches 
generally,* on the subject of regeneration in the case 
of infants, ‘The importance of the subject is apparent 
at once, when we reflect that one-half of all the chil- 
dren that are born into the world die in early life, and 
before they have reached the full standing of members 
in the Christian Church. No reflecting mind can 
contemplate this fact without being prompted to in- 
quire, whether any, and what provision has been 
made for the spiritual life and eternal welfare of these 


*® See the Helvetic, Belgic, and French Confessions, 


914 THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 


children, and without being impressed with the vast 
interests which that question involves. And its im- 
portance is not diminished, but rather enhanced, by 
the errors, both doctrinal and practical, which prevail 
to a lamentable extent on this subject at the present 
day. 

It is evident,-that if any provision has been made 
for the spiritual welfare of infants, and if that provi- 
sion be included in the covenant of grace, they must 
be dealt with substantially on the same principles 
which are applicable to other sinners, and yet there is 
a peculiarity in the case which renders it worthy of 
distinct consideration. Let us review the points both 
of resemblance and of diversity betwixt the two. They 
resemble each other, in that children as well as adults 
are fallen, guilty, and depraved. This is expressly 
declared by our Lord, when he affirms, “ That which 
is born of the flesh is flesh ;” by David, when he con- 
fesses, “‘ IT was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my 
mother conceive me;” by Paul also, when he says, 
‘ By one man sin entered into the world, and death 
by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that 
all have sinned.”—-“ Death reigned even over them 
that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s 
transgression ;” and it is significantly implied in the 
ordinances of circumcision and baptism, for why were 
children circumcised on the eighth day, in token of 
their spiritual separation from the corrupt mass, if 
they needed no separation? and why are children 
baptized, in token of their spiritual cleansing, if theybe 
not naturally defiled? If children resemble adults in 


THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS, 215 


respect of that natural corruption, from which, as a 
polluted fountain, all actual sin proceeds, then are 
they also placed in such a relation to God, and so 
_ Subjected to his curse, as to stand in need of salvation. 
—Another point of resemblance betwixt the two cases _ 
consists in the oneness of the salvation, which is com- 
mon to both; they must be saved substantially in the 
same way, there being one only method of salvation 
for all sinners ; they must be saved according to the 
terms of the covenant of grace—through the redemp- 
tion of Christ, and the regeneration of the Holy Ghost. 
It is equally true of young and old, that “ there is no 
other name given under heaven whereby they can be 
saved, but the name of Jesus;” and “that except a 
man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of 
God.” This also is expressly declared in the doctrine 
of Scripture, and is significantly intimated in the ordi- 
nances of the Church ; for when a child is baptized, 
it is “ baptized in the name of the Father, and of. the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost,’—it is baptized into* 
the name of each person in the Godhead, and not 
simply as they are distinct subsistences in the undi- 
vided Trinity, but as they are officially concerned in 
the recovery of lost souls ; in other words, it is bap- 
tized into the name of “ God in Christ,” the Father, 
the Saviour, the Sanctifier. And thus is significantly 
represented to us the identity of that salvation which 
is common to the infant and the adult members of his 
spiritual Church. 

But, on the other hand, there is a marked peculi- 


* ° ° 
815 To ovofee%, not * in nomtine,” asin the Vulgate. 


216 THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS: 


arity in the case of infants, and a difference betwixt 
their case and that of adults, which cannot be over- 
looked. For not only is there, in the case of infants, 
no actual sin, such as has been contracted by every 
one who has reached the age of distinct personal re- 
sponsibility, but there is at first no capacity of thought 
or understanding, such as could render them fit sub- 
jects for the operation of that truth which is, in the 
case of adults, the instrument by which the Spirit of 
God carries on his work in the heart; and hence 
some, supposing the Spirit’s Grace to be inseparably 
connected with the belief of the truth, have been led 
to question whether infants be capable of regeneration 
at all; while others have been content to leave them 
to God’s general mercy, perhaps with an unavowed, 
and it may be, an unconscious feeling, that it would be 
unjust in him to cast them off. But this is no proper 
subject for indifference: it involves the question of 
their salvation; for if saved at all, they must be born 
again; and unless they be capable of the Spirit’s grace, 
they are incapable of the Gospel salvation. And see- 
ing that they are not yet capable of forming a correct 
apprehension of the truth, nor of being enlightened 
and sanctified by its instrumentality, as adults are, it 
becomes us to inquire with reverence indeed, and deep 
humility, but still with that ardent and tender inte- 
rest which natural affection itself might prompt,— 
whether they be, in any sense, capable of the Spirit’s 
grace, and admissible into the kingdom of God ? 
1. That children, however young, even infants in 
their mother’s arms, are fit and capable subjects of 


THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 217 


divine grace, may be evinced by various considera- 
tions. Several of these considerations afford a pre- 
sumption in favour of the expectation, that some pro- 
vision would be made in the scheme of grace on their 
behalf; while others of them afford a positive proof 
that such a provision exists, and is available for their 
benefit. 

The presumptive proofs are such as these. When 
weexainine the constitution of the human race, we find 
that it differs materially from that of the angelic race, 
of whom it is written, “ that they neither marry, nor 
are given in marriage,”—each of these being created 
distinctly, and standing on his own personal and inde- 
pendent responsibility from first to last; whereas in 
the case of men, the family institute has been adopted, 
in virtue of which every human being comes into the 
world closely connected with others,—liable to be 
affected for good or evil by the influence of their opt- 
nions and habits,—and left, during the years of in- 
fancy, as in trust in their hands. He is not, in the 
first instance, independent, nor able to think or to act 
for himself, but grows up gradually into a state of 
personal responsibility. Now, to this, which is the 
actual constitution of human nature, the scheme’ of 
revealed truth adapts itself. It reveals God not 
merely as the God of individuals, but as the “ God 
of families,”—* the God of ages and generations,’— 
and, in all his dealings with men, as having respect to 
the hereditary constitution which he has given to the 
human race,—“ visiting the iniquities of the fathers 


upon the children, unto the third and fourth genera- 
P 


918 THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 


tion of them that hate him, and showing mercy unto 
thousands of them that love him and keep his com- 
mandments.” Distinct from this family institute, yet 
admirably adapted to it,—as the scheme of revelation 
is in all other respects to the constitution and course 
of nature,—is the federal system, by which men are 
placed under Adam as the head of the legal, and, un- 


der Christ, as the head of the evangelical dispensation ; 


so that, as from the one they inherit the fruits of re- 
volt, from the other they receive the fruits of redemp- 
tion. Now,as God has constituted two distinct heads 
——the first and the second Adam ;—and as, in faet, 
children are found to be included along with their 
parents in the one, and share, in consequence, in the 
ruinous effects of the fall,—a strong presumption arises 
hence, that children may be included also along with 
their parents in the other, and so included as tos! 
in the blessed effects of the redemption. And as t 
their being incapable, at their tender years, and while 
their minds are yet immature, of any participation of 


the divine nature which is imparted by the Spirit,— _ 


surely it cannot be thought that they are less capable 
of this than they were of being infected by the virus 
of original sin. 

These are presumptions, I admit, and nothing more 3 
but they may have their use in clearing away those 
unfounded and injurious prejudices with which too 
many come to the study of the question, and in pre- 
paring them for giving to it a dispassionate and im- 
partial consideration. And if they be sufficient for 
this end, they serve the chief purpose for which they 


id 


THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 219 


are adduced, while the positive proof on the subject 
will be found to afford ample evidence for affirming, 
that in the actual scheme of grace, provision has been 
made for the case of infants, and that they are fit and 
capable subjects of the Gospel salvation. 

That proof consists chiefly, (1.) in express doctrinal 


statements on the subject; (2.) in recorded instances 
"of sanctified infancy ; (3.) in the analogy of the typi- 


cal dispensation; and, (4.) in the ordinance of baptism, 
as applicable to infants in the Christian Church. 

Of the express doctrinal statements on this sub- 
ject, I shall only select one, which being accompanied 


- with a most significant action, performed by Christ 


himself on little children, appears to me to be suffi- 


cient of itself to determine—not the question of infant 
baptism, but the prior and more important question / 
of their interest in the kingdom of God. We read 
(Luke xvi. 15), that “ they brought unto him also 
infants, that he would touch them,” or, as it is in the 
parallel passage of another Gospel, “ that he would 
put his hands on them and pray ;” but when his dis- 
ciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called 
them (the infants*), and said, “ suffer little chil- 
dren to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of 
such is the kingdom of heaven.” It is added (Mark 
x. 16), “ And he took them up in his arms, put his 
hands upon them, and blessed them.” Now be it 
remembered, that these words were-uttered, and this 
act was done, not as a mere expression of personal 
tenderness, such as every benevolent mind must feel 


* Beigy—aurie 


abe 


s rg” 


i" oe | 


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. eae 


220 THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 


towards these helpless, and just because they were help- 
less, these most interesting children: the words were 
uttered, and the act was done, by him in his official 
character as Redeemer, and in the exercise of his pub- 
lic ministry as the Prophet of the Church; and while 
the former declare that of such—of such in point of age 
a¢ well as of disposition—is the kingdom of God,— 
that is, his own Church, whether on earth or in heaven, 
is in a great measure composed; the latter—I mean 
his act when he put his hand on them, and blessed 
them—implies that they are the objects of a Saviour’s 
love, and. capable of receiving a Saviour’s blessing ; 
nay, that they are fit subjects of the Spirit’s grace, for 
the imposition or the laying on of hands was the 
usual sign by which the communication of the Spirit 
was shadowed forth. And can we doubt, then, that 
infants, however young, who are fallen in Adam, may 
be saved by Christ? How his blessing operated we 
know not; but is there any parent whose mind is so 
sceptical, or his heart so cold, as to imagine that the 
putting on of the Saviour’s hands, and the pronoune- 
ing of that blessing on these little children, could have 
no efficacy, or that it was an idle ceremony—a mere 
empty form ? . 
‘Of the recorded instances of infants who were the 
subjects of the Spirit’s grace, I might mention, first 
of all, “the Holy Child’—the infant Jesus himself, 


‘whose body was prepared, and his human soul filled 


with the Holy Ghost, so as to be wholly « without 
sin ;” but as this is a peculiar and unparalleled in- 
stance, seeing that he descended not from Adam by 


is 


‘ioe 


bal # % 
- 
» a 
regs 
= et ’ 
THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 291 


ordinary generation, but was conceived of a virgin by 
the power of the Holy Ghost, I shall not dwell upon 
it here, although it is fraught with profound instruc- 


tion to all;* but shall select the case of his illustrious — 


forerunner, of whom it was predicted by the angel, 
that “he should be filled with the Holy Ghost even 
from his mother’s womb ;” and the case of Jeremiah 


under the Old Testament, of whom it is written, 


“‘ Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and 
before thou camest forth out of the womb I sancti- 
fied thee; and I ordained thee a prophet unto the 
nations.” 

The analogy of the typical dispensation affords 
another proof. The ordinance of circumcision, which 
was given to Abraham, and continued under Moses 
and the prophets, was in itself, considered as a sa- 
crament of that dispensation of the scheme of grace, 
an evidence that the children of believers had then 
an™interest in God’s covenant; for it was appoint- 
ed to be observed on the eighth day, and it was to 
Abraham and his seed a“ seal of the righteousness 
which is of faith.” But when that dispensation is 


regarded in its typical aspect—as designed to pre- 


figure or foreshadow the better things which were still 
in reserve for the Church under “ the ministration of 
the Spirit,” the argument is so strong as to be alto- 
gether irresistible in favour of the interest of infants 
in the scheme of grace and redemption. 


And finally, the proof is completed by the otdinanell y 


of baptism in the Christian Church, if that ordinance 


* See Owen’s ** Work of the Spirit on the Person of Christ.” 


‘, 


999, THE REGENERATION OF INFANTs. 


be applicable to children,—I say, if it be applicable 
to children; for there are some who deny that it 
ought to be administered to them, and to such the 
argument derived from the rite of baptism, in favour 
of the interest of children in the provisions and pro- 
mises of the covenant. of grace, will appear to have no 
force or validity, until it is first proved that the ordi- 
nance was intended for them. On the proof of this 
it is not my present purpose to enter;* we can forego 
the use of this proof when speaking to tnose who 
object on this ground, seeing that the interest of in 

fants in the covenant of grace is established on other 
and independent considerations ; and instead of argu- 
ing from the institution of baptism to the interest of 
children in the covenant, I would rather argue from 
the latter to the former; and seek to impress their 
minds, in the first instance, with the precious truth, 
that infants have an interest in the covenant, and that 
they are fit and capable subjects of divine grace ; 
whence it would naturally follow, that they are capable 
also of receiving the sign and seal, and ought to receive 
it, if there be the slightest reason to believe that they 
have not been excluded by divine authority from all 
participation in that holy ordinance. 

On these grounds, I think it must be evident that 
infant children are fit and capable subjects of divine 
grace, and that they are included in the covenant of 
redemption. It may be difficult for us to understand 
in what way the Spirit of God operates on their minds, 


* See Dr. Wardlaw on Infant Baptism for the Scriptural argument, and 
Wall’s History for the Historical. . 


THE REGENERATIGN OF INFANTS. 293 


or through what medium they obtain a participation 
of the blessings of salvation, which are said to be “* by 
faith.” The regeneration of infants may be ascribed 
to a direct operation of the Spirit on their minds, and 
in this respect may be said to resemble what is sup- 
posed by some to be in every case the primary influ- 
ence of the Spirit, under which the soul is passive, 
and by which, without the intervention of any instru- 
mentality, he effects a permanent change, “ predispos- 
ing it to receive, and love, and obey the. truth.* By 
this direct operation he may implant that principle of 
grace which is the germ of the new creature, that 
incorruptible seed, which may lie long under the fur- 
row, but will sooner or later spring up, and produce 
the peaceable fruits of righteousness. Our older di- 
vines were wont to distinguish between the principle 
or habit of grace, and the exercise of grace,t and to 
maintain, that the principle might exist in children 
who were as yet incapable of the exercise, and that 
grace in such was real and saving.{ It may be 
generally connected, too, with the faith of the parent, 
in whom, during the period of. nonage, the infant is 
federally included. § But it is sufficient to say, in 
the language of the Westminster Confession, that 
“they are regenerated and saved by Christ through 
the Spirit, who worketh when, and where, and how 
he pleaseth,’—for ‘‘ the wind bloweth where it listeth, 
and thou canst not tell whence it cometh, nor whither 


* Lectures by Dr. Payne of Exeter, Shh Suis 
+ Dr. Owen, ii, 283, 482, 492. + Ibid. il. 413. 
$ Homilies on Baptism, by Rev. Edward Irving, 346, 349. 


224 THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 


it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” 
And to him who objects to the regencration of infants, 
on the ground of its mysteriousness, may we not say, 
that the natural birth of a child is full of mystery: “T 
am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are 
thy works, and that my soul knoweth night well. My 
substance was not hid from thee when I was made 
in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts 
of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet 
being imperfect ; and in thy book all my members 
were written, which in continuance were fashioned, 
when as yet there was none of them;’—and in the 
preacher's words,—‘ As thou knowest not what is the 
way of the Spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the 
womb of her that is with child, even so. thou knowest 
not the works of God who maketh all.” 

But there is another explanation of the subject 
which has obtained extensive currency—I refer to the 
doctrine of BAPTISMAL REGENERATION. If baptism 
be designed, as we have no doubt it is, for the benefit 
of infant children, it has appeared to many that this 
precious ordinance affords the readiest explanation of 
the means by which the Spirit of grace executes his 
gracious work, by imparting to them the germ of a 
new spiritual life, and engrafting them into the Church 
of Christ. On no subject is it more necessary to spealr 
with caution, and to think with accuracy, especially in 
the present day, when the most opposite errors are 
current respecting it ;—some representing baptism as 
a mere ceremony, a naked sign, or an empty form ; 
while others are strenuously contending that in every 


THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 225 


case in which it is administered, it necessarily implies 
regeneration, and that no other regeneration is to be 
looked for. The language of the Westminster Con- 
fession is equally opposed to each of these pernicious 
errors; and while it unfolds the spiritual import of 
baptism in all its fulness, by the use of Scriptural 
terms, which may almost seem at first sight to imply 
all that the advocates for baptismal regeneration con- 
tend for, it singles out with the strictest discrimina- 
tion, and condemns with the utmost explicitness, the 
groundless opinions which have been: mixed up with 
that doctrine, so as at once to confirm the truth and 
to correct the error. 

Let us briefly unfold the doctrine of the Confession 
on this subject. ; 

1. It proceeds on the supposition that children are 
fit and capable subjects of divine grace, and that they 
have an interest in the covenant prior to their baptism. 
They do not acquire an interest in the covenant by 
being baptised ; they are baptised because they have 
an interest in the covenant, ‘This distinction is of 
great practical value in many points of view: it utter- 
ly subverts the doctrine, that none are regenerated 
who have not been baptised, and thus serves to com- 
fort the heart of many a bereaved parent, whose child 
may have died before that sacred rite could be admi- 
nistered, and enables us to say with the utmost free- 
dom, that while we contend for infant baptism, we 
are under no necessity of unchristianising the children 
of our Baptist brethren, who from conscientious con- 
viction refrain from the use of that ordinance. It will 


926 THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 


be found also to throw considerable light on the pro- 
per nature and use of baptism itself.—Now, that an 
interest in the covenant of grace is presupposed in 
baptism, must be evident to every one who inquires 
into the ground of his warrant to apply for that ordi- 
nance on a of his children, as yet unbaptised. 
Abraham had first an interest in the covenant, and 
then circumcision was added as a sign and seal of his 
interest in it: for it was « the seal of the righteousness 
of faith which he had, being yet uncircumcised ;” and 
so, in like manner, the children of believing parents 
have an interest in the covenant, and they receive 
baptism as the sign and seal of that interest which 
they had, being yet unbantised.* Their prior inte- 
rest in the covenant lies in the terms of the promise— 
“the promise which is unto us and to our children,” 
—“T will be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after 
thee,”—-and depends on the relation in which they 
stand to believing parents ; for, if either father or 
mother be a believer, the children are recognised as 
having a title to baptism, and that, too, by virtue of 
their having an interest in the covenant, according to 
the expressive words of the apostle (1 Cor. vii. 14): 
“For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the 
wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the 
husband ; else were your children unclean, but now 
are they holy.” For “if the root be holy, so are 
the branches.” (Rom. xi. 16.) | 

2. The children of believing parents, having a prior 


* Mr. Molesworth, a zealous advocate of baptismal regeneration, objects 
to this application of the analogy, Sermons, p. 422. 


THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 297 


interest in the covenant, receive baptism as a sign 
and seal of their engrafting into Christ—of regenera- 
tion—of remission of sins—and of their engagement 
to be the Lord’s. That all this is included in that 
sacred ordinance will be evident, if we simply read. 
over those passages of Scripture which have an express 
bearing on the doctrine of baptism. “ Know ye not 
that so many of us as were baptised into Jesus Christ 
were baptised into his death? Therefore we are 
buried with him by baptism into death: that like as 
Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the 
Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” 
(Rom. vi. 3.) “In the days of Noah, eight souls were 
saved by water. The like figure whereunto even bap- 
tism doth also now save us (not the putting away of 
the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good con- 
science toward God).” (I Pet. iii. 20, 21.) “ By one 
Spirit are we all baptised into one body, whether we 
be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; 
and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” 
(1 Cor. xii, 13.) “ In whom also ye are circumcised 
with the circumcision made without hands, in putting 
off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision 
of Christ: buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye 
are risen with him through the faith of the operation of 
God, who hath raised him from the dead.” (Col. eul, 
12.) “ Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be 
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ 
for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift 
of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and 
to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as 


228 THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 


many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts ii. 38, 
39.) These passages are sufficient to show that there 
is a profound significancy in baptism; and that it is 
neither a naked sign, nor an empty form, but a true 
sacrament, and real channel of grace. And, in inter- 
: preting this symbolical institution, we are free to pre- 
Sant it in all the fulness of its meaning to the faith 
of - the church, and to. show what efficacy is in it 
_ when it is made effectual. But you will observe that 
the apostles, when they used these expressions, were 
Breaking of baptized men—who- had been admitted 
into the Church on the profession of their faith in 
Christ—and that they thus spoke of the efficacy of 
ieee their baptism on the supposition that their profession 
had been sincere, and that their faith was real. In such 
a case, there can be no doubt that baptism was both a 
sign and a seal of saving grace,—any more than that, 
if such persons had died after their conversion, and 
before their baptism, they would have entered into 
glory,—like the poor unbaptized malefactor on the 
cross. But having been spared to receive that exter- 
nal sign and seal of the covenant, the apostle refers to 
it as the token and pledge of their salvation. And 
so,—had he spoken of the children of these same men, 
but still, on the supposition that the parents were true 
believers,—he would have used the same language in 
regard to them, seeing that the children are included 
with, or rather in, their parents, in the provisions and 
promises of the covenant, and had an interest in it, 
being yet unbaptized. 
Viewed in this light, the ordinance of baptism is 


THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS, 929 


fraught with the richest instruction, and encourage- 
ment. It embodies all the fundamental principles of 
the Gospel, and exhibits every truth that is necessary 
to salvation. In baptism, the name of each person in 
the Trinity is pronounced over us, not merely to mark 
the distinction of these Persons, but to intimate their 
harmonious co-operation in the scheme of graee, and _ 
the official relation in which they stand to us in the 
covenant of redemption. We are baptized into the 
name of each,—into the name of the Father, as our 
Father,—into the name of the Son, as our Saviour,— 
into the name of the Holy Ghost, as our Sanctifier ; 
we are washed, and thereby declared to be naturally sak 
unclean ; we are washed with water, as a sign of the 5 J 
blood of Christ, which cleanseth away the guilt of sin, 
and asa sign also of “ the washing of regeneration 
and the renewing of the Holy Ghost ;” and thereby 
we are taught at once the possibility of God’s entering 
into covenant with an unclean thing, and the means 
by which its uncleanness may be taken away. And 
when a child is thus baptized on the strength of a 
parent's faith, we see the federal principle which per- 
vades the scheme of grace as weil as the covenant of 
works,—and the parent is impressively reminded of 
his responsibility, as being answerable to God for his 
child, at least during its infancy or nonage. Whether, 
therefore, we consider baptism as a sign of grace, or 
as a seal of the covenant,—or as a visible witness for 
the truth,—or as an intelligible symbol of spiritual 
blessings,—it is fraught with profound instruction ; 
and not less fraught with encouragement to faith, since 


230 THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 


it is a true sign, and a real seal, and ought to be re- 
garded by every parent as a pledge of his child’s in- 
terest in the covenant of grace, and as a motive and 
stimulus to hope, and pray, and labour, for its ever- 
lasting salvation. . 

In what respects does this view of the nature and 
efiicacy of baptisni differ from the doctrine of bap- 
tismal regeneration, as it is taught so generally in 
modern times? It may seem, at first sight, to differ 
from it chiefly in two respects. The latter doctrine is 
understood to mean, that every one is regenerated 
who is regularly baptized, and that no one is rege- 
nerated who ts not baptized. The Westminster Con- 
fession, while it unfolds the doctrine of baptism in all 
its fulness, carefully guards against these inferences 
from it; and declares, “ that although it be a great 
sin to contemn or neglect this ordinance, yet grace 
and salvation are not so inseparably annexed to it, 
as that no person can be regenerated or saved with- 
out it, or that all that are baptized are undoubtedly 
regenerated.” But I apprehend that there is a far 
more important difference betwixt the two systems of 
doctrine: the one represents regeneration as an in- 
ward spiritual change, wrought in the mind and heart 
by the power of the Spirit of God; while the other 
speaks of it as a mere external or relative change, 
which has no necessary and no uniform connection 
with any degree of spiritual renovation,* The latter 


*«« ¥fregeneration takes place in baptism, it cannot, upon principles of 
common sense, be an entire change of mind: if it is an entire change of 
mind—a radical change of heart and soul—upon principles of common 


THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 231 


system speaks of every baptized person as regenerated 
while it admits that many of them may be, and are 
unrenewed. Did the question relate only to the right 
use of a term, or to a distinction betwixt one term 
and another, it might be of little consequence in most 
cases, though not in this, where the sense attached to 
regeneration would go far to nullify the import of 
many precious texts of Scripture ;* but the evil is 
greatly increased when, having attached this meaning 
to the term, it is contended that no other regeneration 
is to be sought or hoped for;t and that all are alike 
regenerated, whether elect or non-elect, and whether 
ultimately, they be saved or lost. Considered in this 
light, our divines have generally opposed the doctrine 
of baptismal regeneration. ‘ Regeneration does not 
consist,” says Owen, “ in a participation of the ordi- 
nance of baptism, and a profession of the doctrine of 
repentance. This is all that some will allow unto it, 
to the utter rejection and overthrow of the grace of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. For the dispute in this matter is 
not—whether the ordinances of the Gospel, as baptism, 
do really communicate internal grace unto them that 
are, as to the outward manner of their administration, 


sense and experience, it cannot take place in baptism.”—Bishop Bethelt 
on Regeneration in Baptism, xiii. 

The same writer refers to Bishop Mant, Waterland, Wall, and others, 
as founding on the distinction betwixt regeneration and conversion, or 
spiritual renewal, and illustrates the distinction by the case of Paul, “ who, 
though converted, was not regenerate, till he had washed away his sins in 
baptism !” 

* See Taylor’s Key to the Romans, 

+ Mr. Molesworth says, “ The only subsequent regeneration is the rege- 
neration of the corruptible to the incorruptible in the resurrection to life 
eternal !”—P, 110. 


9382 THE REGENERATION OF INFANTs. 


duly made partakers of them,—whether ex opere ope- 
rato, as the Papists speak, or as the federal means of 
the conveyance and communication of that grace which 
they betoken, and are the pledges of ; but—whether 
the outward susception of the ordinance, joined with 
a profession of repentance in them that are adult, 
be not the whole of what is called regeneration ?—The 
vanity of this presumptuous folly,—destructive of all 
the grace of the gospel,—invented to countenance 
men in their sins,—and to hide from them the neces- 
sity of being born again, and therein of living unto 
God,—will re laid open in our declaration of the work 
itself.”* ‘“ The error of baptismal regeneration,” says 
Irving, whose ideas of the spiritual import of baptism 
were sufficiently high, “ consisteth not in holding that 
the true children of God are regenerated at their bap- 
tism, and from thence should date their admission into 
the household of faith—which, with all my orthodox 
fathers in the Church, I hold to be the only true 
doctrine,—but in holding, that every person who is 
baptized doth virtually thereby become regenerate, 
and possessed with the Holy Spirit; or, to speak the 
language of theologians, that the inward grace is so 
connected with, or bound to, the outward ordinance, 
that whosoever receiveth the one doth necessarily be- 
come partaker of the other. This is an error of the 
most hideous kind,—bringing in justification by works, 
or rather by ceremonies,—destroying the election of 
the Father, the salvation of theSon, and the sanctifi- 
cation of the Holy Ghost,—and exalting the priest 


* Owen’s Works, ii. 2473 see also p. 513. 


“<. _— 7 


THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 233 


and the ceremony into the place of the Trinity.”* And 
the judicious Scott sums up the received doctrine in 
these five propositions : “ 1. Baptism is truly the sacra- 
mental sign and seal. of regeneration, as circumcision 
was under the Old Testament, and not regeneration . 
itself, nor inseparably connected with it. 2. Adults, 
sincerely professing repentance and faith, are already 
regenerate, and, in baptism, receive the sign and seal 
of the righteousness of faith which they had, yet being 
unbaptized. 3. The event, as to each baptized infant, 
must determine whether it was, or was not, regene- 
rated in baptism. 4. Baptism is not universally and 
indispensably necessary to salvation; but regenera- 
tion is. 5. Ungodly and wicked persons, who have 
been baptized, need regeneration,—even as all wicked 
Israelites needed the circumcision of the heart,—and 
the Jews, in our Lord’s days, needed regeneration.” 

But while we guard against extreme opinioas on 
the one hand, it is equally necessary to guard against 
extreme opinions on the other; and there is reason to 
fear, that if, by some, the efficacy of baptism is unduly 
magnified, it is by many more unduly depreciated, or 
altogether disbelieved. We have seen that children 
are fit and capable subjects of the Spirit's grace, and 
that the ordinance of baptism is a sign and seal of 
‘ engrafting into Christ.” In the case of an adult, 
where there is no faith, it is devoid of efficacy ; (and 
in the case of a child, where there is no faith on the 

* E, Irving’s Homilies on Baptism, 387, 


+ Rev. Thomas Seott’s Remarks on Bishop Tomline’s Refutation of 
Calvinism. 


Q 


234 THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 


_ part of the parent, through whom alone the child has a | 
‘claim to this ordinance, it may be equally ineffectual ;_ 


but this hinders not, that in either instance, it may be 


a real channel, as well as a visible symbol of grace, 
~ where faith is exercised in the covenant promise. 


And I cannot help thinking, that the administration 
of baptism to an infant child is fraught with rich 


encouragement to the parent, and with profound in- 


struction to the child himself when he arrives at a 
riper age; for in baptism there is, as it were, a visible 
application made to that child individually of the sign 
and seal of all the grace which the covenant contains, 
—such an application as gives a special and personal 
direction to all the invitations, and calls, and promises 
of the Gospel; and is alike fitted to nourish the faith 
and hope of the parent, and to call forth, at a later 
period, the grateful acknowledgments of his offspring, 
or to impress them with a very solemn sense of the 
responsibility under which they lie. And although 
I cannot agree with those who seem to argue that 
there would be no ground for Christian education, 
unless regeneration were included in baptism ;* yet 
it seems very clear, that education may be stimulated, 
and conducted, too, on a better principle, by reason of 
the truths which baptism unquestionably implies. The 
parent knowing that, on the ground of his faith, his 


* ** Christian Morals,” by the Rev. Wm. Sewell, Professor of Moral 
Philosophy at Oxford, This book proceeds on the assumption of baptis- 
mal regeneration, and represents that doctrine as the groundwork of 
Christian Ethics. With much thatis objectionable, it presents some fine 
views of the improvement which should be made of baptism, and of the 
connection, too often overlooked, betwixt Christianity and Education, 


THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS, 235 


children are declared to be “ holy,” and as such, have 
been admitted to the privilege of baptism, should feel 


that he is thereby encouraged to regard them as fit... 
and capable subjects of the Spirit’s grace, and as having 
such an interest in all the privileges and promises of ». > , /, 
that covenant as affords ample warrant for the exercise ip. 

of faith, and hope, and prayer; and the children,as 


they grow up, should be frequently reminded that they 
were dedicated to God,—that they were baptized into 
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost,—and that they received baptism as a pri- 
vilege for which they must give in an account. And 
when, at-any time, in after-life, they have any doubt 


as to their interest in the covenant, they may look * 


back to the personal application of the seal of the 


covenant to themselves individually, while as yet they — 
were unconscious infants, and draw from it a precious 


assurance of the perfect freeness of the Gospel.” To 


velieving parents, again, who have lost their children of tea 


in infancy, the truths which have been illustrated are 


fitted to impart a consolation such as the world can “ _ 
away.* aS a ive ' é ht 4 ? it VL 7 


f 7 
et if bh 
_ , Xe f : 


neither give nor take 


We have purposely reserved the case of infants for ” 


distinct consideration. To some it may appear, that 
it would have been a more natural course to consider 
the effect of baptism in the first instance, and there- 
_ after to develope the course of the Spirit’s operation, 
when children grow up to a capacity for knowing and 
believing the truth. But as the work of the Spirit is 


* Dr Russell on the ‘* Salvation of Children Dying in Infancy.” 


é 

| 
j 
*] 
| 


Tee 


936 THE REGENERATION OF INFANTS. 


spoken of in Scripture chiefly with reference to adult 
persons, and as in their case only can we trace it in 
its visible manifestations and actual fruits, we have 
drawn our illustrations from their experience. And it 
deserves to be remarked, that even those who hold 
the highest views of baptismal regeneration, should 
not, on that account, object to a detailed illustration 
of His subsequent operations on the mind and heart, — 
since they admit, that whatever grace may be imparted 
at baptism, there must be an internal and spiritual 
change of mind and heart—a change wrought by the 
agency of the Spirit, and the instrumentality of the 
truth in riper years, before any man can enter the 
kingdom of God. 


rs 


‘a 
oy,” 


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PART II. 
ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


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CHAPTER I. 
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_ ‘PHE PHILIPPIAN GAOLER. 


ihe Acts xvi. 19-34, 

Tae nature of a sinner’s conversion to God is illus- 
trated in Scripture in various ways. Sometimes in the 
way of doctrinal statement, as when it is represented 
in general terms as a change of mind and _ heart, 
wrought by the Spirit of God applying the truths of 
his. Word, whereby the sinner is led to turn from sin 


unto God ;—sometimes by the use of figurative or | 


metaphorical expressions, descriptive of the various 
aspects in which it may be viewed,—as when it is 
denominated a resurrection, a new birth, an enlighten- 
ing, a transformation, a renewing, a cleansing, a cure, 
an awakening of the soul ;—sometimes by the help of 
parables, or stories derived from ordinary life, and 
employed to illustrate spiritual. truth,—as when the 
apostasy, and ruin, and wretchedness of the natural 
man, and the commencement, progress, and consum- 
mation of his conversion are represented in the history 
of the Prodigal Son ;—and, lastly, by the account 
of many instances of genuine conversion which the 


Spirit of God has recorded in the Word, and which 


a 


940 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


afford a practical illustration of the truth, such as is 
admirably fitted at once to awaken our interest in it, 
to impart a clear idea of its nature, and to impress 
our minds with a sense of its reality, as matter of 
personal experience. ‘. as 

I propose to consider some of these scriptural cases _ 
of conversion—such as that of the Philippian Gaoler, 


the Ethiopian Treasurer, Cornelius the Roman Cen- 
turion, Saul the Persecutor, Lydia of Thyatira, the 


Malefactor on the Cross, and the three thousand on 


the day of Pentecost,—viewing them as so many illus-_ 


trative specimens of that great change which must be 
wrought on ourselves individually, if we would enter 
into the kingdom of God. And I do the rather prefer 
such cases of conversion as are to be found in Scripture, 
before all others that have been reported in the diaries 
of private Christians, or the more recent history of the 
Church,*—because, being recorded by the Spirit of 
God, they are of standard authority, and exhibit the 
truth without any admixture of error or enthusiasm, 
but in connection with the personal history and actual 
experience of individuals of various views, and disposi- 
tions and habits ; so as to enable us at once to discover 
by asimple comparison, what was common to all, and 
what is essential in every case of conversion, and to 
separate from each the mere circumstantial accompani- 
ments, And, in reviewing these cases, I trust we shall 
be impressed with a solemn sense of the greatness of 


* Dr Owen selects the ease of Augustine. In 1833 the Rev. J. K. 
Craig, Oxon, published a work in 2 vols. on Conversion, in a Series 
of all the Cases recorded in the New Testament, Defective, Doubtful, 
Real; intended as a help to self-examination, 


¢ 
THE PHILIPPIAN GAOLER. 24] 


conversion, when we reflect that God himself has not 
deemed it unworthy of his own infinite mind to mark 
and to record, in his Word, the commencement, and 


progress, and completion of this change in the bosoms 


of individual men and women; the mere fact that 
such cases are recorded being a sufficient proof at once 


that God regards the conversion of a soul with pro- 


found interest,—and that, as “ there is joy in heaven 
among the angels of God when one sinner repenteth,” 
so the Holy Spirit is near him, watching his progress, 
aiding his efforts, and rejoicing in his success. 

‘The first case which I select is that of the Philippian 
Gaoler, which affords an interesting and instructive 
example of real conversion to God. Andin illustrating 
the words in which it is recorded, I shall—1sé, Consi- 


der what is said of the state of his, mind before hiscon- ~ 


version; 2d, The circumstances which accompanied, 
and the means which effected, this great change; and, 
3d, The true nature of it, or wherein it properly con- 
sisted, and the practical results which followed it. 

1. In respect to the state of his mind betore the 
time of his conversion, you will observe, on a careful 
review of the narrative, that there are two distinct 
descriptions of it,—or rather he was successively in 
two different states of mind—first, as a careless sinner, 
and then as a convinced sinner, before he became a 


converted man. a4 


It is evident, that down to the time when the earth- 
quake occurred, he had been a careless, unregenerate, 
worldly man. This appears, not so much from his 
having imprisoned the apostles, and made their feet 


Po 


ee > 


on a a 
Be ETS ‘be , we 
Fo ; Fs o,” q H ay a eae) ee 
‘ m8 - ise . 7 
242 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


fast in the stocks—for that might be thought to be his 


duty in the subordinate situation which he filled; and 


- the guilt of persecution properly rested on the people 


who accused, and the magistrates who condemned 
them,—of whom it is said, that (ver. 19) when the 
masters of the damsel, who had been possessed with 
@ spirit of divination, and who had been miracu- 
lously cured—when they “Saw that the hope of their 
gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew 
them in to the market-place unto the rulers, and’ 
brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men 
haing Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach 
ouster which are not lawful for us to receive, neither 
to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose 
up together against thems and the magistrates rent 
off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And 
when they had laid many stripes’ upon them, they 
cast them into prison, charging the gaoler to. keep them 
safely: who, having received such a charge, thrust 
them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast 
in the stocks.” The guilt of this persecution rested 
mainly on the magistrates and the multitude, and the 
gaoler was no farther responsible for it than as he was 


_ their agent in carrying it on; but that he was a care- 
less sinner, appears with conclusive evidence from his 


conduct afterwards, when (ver. 26) “Suddenly there 
was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the 
prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors 
were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. And 
the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and 
seeing the prison-doors open, he drew out his sword 


} 


Ft’ 


ree PIS Ae eS" et 
7 ‘a e ah 
a, 
—_ ae oe 
« ‘. 
THE PHILIPPIAN GAOLER. 243 
+ 4 


and would have killed himself, supposing that the 
prisoners had been fled.”, We have here a lively deli- 
neation ofa worldly, careless, godless man, distracted 
and driven to desperation by asudden and unexpected 
temporal calamity. He supposed that his prisoners had 
escaped, and that he would be called to account, by 


his earthly superiors, and condemned to forfeit the — 


situation which he held; and immediately, under the 
influence of “that sorrow of the world which work- 
eth death,” “he drew out his sword, and would have 
killed himself.” The thought of suicide was an indi- 


cation of utter practical atheism; for it showed that © 


he had no fear of God—since he was more afraid of 
“them that could kill the body, than of Him that 
could cast both soul and body into hell;” that he had 


no care for his soul—since he was ready to peril its 


salvation, merely because he apprehended the loss of 


his situation on earth; and that he had no concern, . 
or rather was utterly reckless about elernity—since, to 


escape from the misery of the present hour, he was 
about to rush, unprepared and unsummoned, into the 
presence of his Judge. The idea of suicide is one 
that could not have occurred to any man, however 
severe the trials, and however heavy the disappoint- 
ments which he was called to endure, unless he were 


utterly ignorant or careless in regard alike to God and » 


his own everlasting prospects; and from the fact, that © 


‘he drew out his sword, and would have killed him- «| 


self,” we infer, that down to the time when the earth- 
quake occurred he was a mere worldling,—an indif-° 
ferent, careless, and unawakened sinner. 


¥ 


oe 


244 "ILLUSTRATIVE Cases. 


ught on his state of mind 
1 which was only preparatory 
to that still greater > la being a careless, he 


became a convinced sinner. This preliminary change 


consisted in strong convictions of conscience, and lively 
apprehensions of danger; and these, although sud- 

denly produced, were alike sincere and profound, in- 
somuch that it is said (ver. 29), “‘Hecalled for a light, 
and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down 
before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and 
said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Here is a 
great change,—a change from total apathy to real con- 
cern,—from utter recklessness to sincere and anxious 
inquiry. He appears to have been suddenly seized 
with an agonizing sense of his guilt and danger; and 
there is an affecting contrast betwixt his present con- 
victions and his former carelessness; for the same 
danger existed then as now: his sins were as many 
and great,—God was as just, and holy, and terrible,— 
eternity was as vast and awful when he thought not 
at all of these things as now, when, in agitation and 
alarm, he could think of nothing else: his danger 
was not created by his convictions—it was only rea- 
lized and impressed on his conscience; his state was 
as perilous before, when, in the recklessness of unbe- 
lief, he drew a sword, and would have killed himself 
—as now, when, with a newly awakened anxiety and 
earnestness, he was inquiring what he should do to be 
saved? But now he was brought under deep con- 
cern as to the state and prospects of his soul. He was 
convinced of his danger, and of the need of salvation ; 


a. oa: 


THE PHILIPPIAN GAOLER. 245 


for his question was understood and answered By the 
apostles as having rele to his spiritual state and 
everlasting prospects. And this conviction, although 
suddenly awakened in the bosom of one who had here- 
tofore been a careless sinner, may be accounted for by 
what he had seen and heard since the apostles had 


appeared at Philippi. We find that the apostles had ~ 


been certain days in that city; that Paul had preached 
by the river side, “ where prayer was wont to be made;” 
that Lydia had been converted, and, along with her 
household, had been baptized; and that a miracle 


had been wrought on the damsel possessed with a 


spirit of divination ;—these things had occurred before 
that memorable night ; and although the gaoler might 
not have been personally present, he could hardly fail 
to hear the report of what had happened, as we find 


that the whole city was thrown into an uproar,—and - 


“The multitude rose up together against the apostles, 
and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and com- 
manded to beat them.” And besides the report of 
these things, the conduct of the apostles in prison 


was fitted to impart much instruction: lacerated with | 


stripes, loaded perhaps with chains, and with their feet 
fast in the stocks, “ At midnight Paul and Silas prayed 
and sang praises unto God; and the prisoners heard 
them.” ‘That song of praise at the dead of night, and 
within the walls of a public prison, bespoke a sustain- 
ing power which no persecution could crush,—a peace 
which the world could neither give nor take away ; 
and, when the song ceased, and the prayer was ended, 
“Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the 


af * 


246 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


foundations of the prison were shaken, and all the 
doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.” 
These events, whether witnessed by the gaoler, or re- 
ported to Kim when he awoke out of sleep, must have’ 
impressed his mind with the conviction, that there was 
some unearthly greatness in these men, and some un- 
seen power working on their behalf,—especially when, 
in the midst of that awful scene, in which the earth 
had opened, and the foundations of the prison were 
shaken,—and when, in utter distraction and terror, 
the gaoler drew his sword, and would have killed him- 
self, he heard Paul’s voice, rising calm and clear above 
the confusion, and saying,—* Do thyself no harm, for 
we are all here.” Such seem to have been the circum- 
stances which awakened the conscience of this.careless 
sinner, and brought it under the power of strong con- 
victions, for, “Immediately he called for a light, and 
sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before 
Paul and Silas, and brought them out, saying, Sirs, 
what must I do to be saved ?” 

But while a marked change had been wrought on 
his views and feelings, inasmuch as, from being a very 
careless, he had become a deeply convinced sinner, 
you will carefully observe that he was not yet a con- 
verted man. . He was only at the stage of conviction 
which precedes conversion, but which is not always 
followed by it. He had strong remorse ; but remorse 
is not repentance ;—he had a deep sense of fear; but 
\fear is not faith;—he had an awful apprehension of 
danger; but danger may be apprehended while the 
method of deliverance isunknown. These convictions 


THE PHILIPPIAN GAOLER. 247 


were useful as preparatory means—as motives to scri- 
ous inquiry and earnest attention; at the most, they 
were but hopefud symptoms ; they neither amounted 
to conversion, nor did they afford any certain ground 
to expect that this great change would follow; for 
such convictions, however profound, may be, and often 
are stifled, resisted, and overcome. The careless sin- 
ner may be startled for a time in his slumber, and 
the transtent alarm passing away, he may fall back 
again into the sleep of spiritual death, and the latter 
end of that man is worse than the beginning. 

That the gaoler was not yet converted, is evident 
from the question which he put to the apostles,—a 


question which implies, indeed, that he was now con-~ 


vinced of his danger, and concerned for his soul, and 
impressed with the necessity of salvation, and willing 
to inquire after 1t,—but which also implies, that as 
yet he was ignorant of the method of salvation, and the 
ground of a sinner’s hopes; nay, his question seems to 
imply that, besides being ignorant as yet of the only 
ground of acceptance with God, he was still, notwith- 
standing all his convictions, disposed to look to some- 
thing that he might himself do as the means of effect- 


ing his deliverance ; for itis very remarkable, that even 


when under an agonizing sense of guilt and danger, 
he came trembling to the apostles, his question te 
them was not—how can I be saved? but—what must 
I do to be saved? and this accords with the disposi- 
tion and tendency of every natural mind. However 
deep his convictions may be, and however alarming 
his fears, the first impulse of every convinced sinner, 


948 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


before he is savingly converted, is to look to some 
efforts or doings of his own as the means of his deli- 
verance, and to betake himself toa reformation of life, 
or to deeds of charity, or to penance and self-mortifi- 
cation, or some other outward observance, in the vain 
hope that he may thereby construct for himself a 
ground of hope, and secure the forgiveness and favour 
of God. Down to the time, then, that he put this 
question to the apostles, he was an unconverted man, 
although he had been so far changed, as from a care- 
less to have become a convinced sinner. 

2, Let us now consider the means by which his 
conversion was effected, as distinct from the cireum- 
stances by which it was preceded or accompanied. It 
is of considerable practical importance to separate these 
two, and to consider what is essential to conversion, 
apart from the mere circumstantial accompaniments 
which were peculiar to this individual’s case. Of the 
latter, we may mention—the earthquake, the opening 
of the prison- doors, the bursting of the prisoners’ bands, 
and other such circumstanees, which in this particular 
case were employed as means of awakening the con- 
science and impressing the mind of a careless sinner ; 
whereas in other cases God brings about the same 
change without any such manifestation of miraculous 
power,—sometimes by the ordinary dispensations of his 
providence, and at other times by the simple operation 
of his truth. It matters little by what circumstances 
a sinner is first awakened to inquire,—whether by the 
earthquake, or the still small voice,—provided only 
that he is convinced of his sin and danger. and led 


ta 


- = 


THE PHILIPPIAN GAOLER. 249 


inquire in earnest after the salvation of his soul. But 
while the circumstances which may accompany this 
change are very various in different cases, the means 
of conversion—that by which it is properly effected — 
are one and the same in all: it is nothing else than 
the truth as it is in Jesus, or the full and free Gospel 
of the grace of God. The gaoler was not converted 
by the earthquake, and the shaking of the prison, and 
the opening of the prison-doors; on the contrary, the 
immediate effect of these miraculous events was such 
a terror and distraction of mind, that “ he drew out his 
sword, and would have killed himself ;” and even when 
they were made the means of awakening his con- 
science, and impressing him with a sense of danger, 
they only served the preparatory purpose of exciting 
him to earnest inquiry: but what the earthquake, and 
the other miraculous events of that memorable night 


could not do, was done by the simple proclamation of y 


the Gospel message. For when he came to the apostles, 
and, trembling under a sense of his guilt and danger, 
asked them, saying, “ Sirs! What must I do to be 
saved ?” they immediately replied, “ Believe in the 
Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” And 
this word was the instrument of his conversion,—the 
means by which the convinced sinner became a con- 
verted man! 

In this short but comprehensive passage, we have 
only, as it were, the text of Paul’s discourse ; ‘for i€ 1s 
evident that he unfolded its meaning, and instruct- 
ed the gaoler fully in the truth, since it is added, 
“They spake unto him the Word of the Lord, and 

R 


a. 


950 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


to all that were in his house.” The whole discourse 
is not recorded; but the substance of it is preserved in 
that precious answer which was given to the gaoler’s 
question, and which contains in a few pregnant words 
a summary of the Gospel—a complete directory to 
every anxious inquirer after the way of peace. They 
directed him to look out of himself to Christ,—to re- 
linquish all hope of salvation by works, and to seek 
salvation by faith,—and to depend not at all on his own 
righteousness, but on another righteousness which God 
had provided, and which Christ had wrought out for 
him. They exhorted him to believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ,—which implies, first; that he should believe the 
truth concerning Christ, which is involved in the names 
which are here given to him, and which, doubtless, 
was more fully explained in the subsequent address : 
as that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God, and 
the Saviour of sinners ;—that he was anointed by the 
Father with the Holy Ghost, and therefore to be 
received as the Christ of God, the Messiah that had 
been promised to the fathers ;—that he was anointed 
for the discharge of his various offices,—as God's Pro- 
- phet, to declare his mind and will,—as God’s High 
Priest, to make atonement for sin and intercession for 
sinners,—and as God’s King, to whom all power was 
given in heaven and on earth ;—that once humbled, he 
was now exalted, so that every tongue should confess 
that he is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. All 
this is implied in the names which are here given to 
him: he is called Jesus, ‘“* because he should save his 
people from their sins ;’—-and Christ, because he is the 


THE PHILIPPIAN GAOLER. 251 


Lord’s Anointed, to whom ‘the Spirit was given with- 
out measure, in token of his designation, by divine 
appointment, to the offices which he sustained, as well 
as to qualify him for effecting his great redemption :— 
and ** Lord,” because he is highly exalted, not only in 
respect of the original dignity of his nature, but also 
in respect to the reward which he should earn, and the 
glory which should follow his humiliation, on the 
completion of his work. And the gaoler was called, 
in the first instance, to believe these truths concerning 
Christ, because they constitute the means by which 
sinners are savingly converted,-—there being enough 
of Gospel truth in the very name of Jesus to be an / 
adequate object of saving faith, and to work that 
great change; for “‘ Whoso believeth that Jesus is the 
Christ is born of God,”—and there is ** No other 
name given under heaven among men, whereby we 
must be saved, but the name of Jesus.” 

The apostle’s exhortation farther implies, that, be- 
lieving the truth concerning Christ, the gaoler should 
place his own personal trust and reliance on Christ 
alone,—that he should come to him,.and commit his 
soul into Christ’s hands, as one who was able to save 
unto the very uttermost, and receive and embrace him 
as his own Saviour, in all the fulness of his offices, as 
he is freely offered inthe Gospel. In other words, that 
he should believe the truth concerning Christ, with a 
special application of it to the case of his own soul,— 
not resting in vague generalities, nor contenting him- 
self with speculative inquiiy, but closing with Christ as 
his own Saviour, and resting on him as all his salva- 


~* 


952 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


tion and all his desire. For the apostle speaks point- 
edly to him, and says to him individually, “ Believe 
in the Lord Jesus Christ and THov shalt be saved.” 
Many precious lessons are taught by the apostle’s 
answer, which are applicable for the direction and 
encouragement of convinced sinners in all ages of the 
Church ; but omitting these for the present, and con- 
fining our attention to the ease of the individual 
before us, I shall only observe, that the general truth 
which he was called to believe concerning Christ, as 
the Anointed Saviour of sinners, afforded a sufficient 
warrant and reason for his immediately relying on 
Christ as his own Saviour; and that, when he was 
exhorted to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
encouraged to hope that he should be saved, he had 
presented to him the sum and substance of the Gospel 
message, which is glad tidings of great joy, even to the 
chief of sinners. 

The Gospel thus proposed was the means of his 
conversion ; and, considered as a means, it was alike 
suitable and sufficient ;—suitable, as prescribing a 
remedy in all respects adapted to the evils which he 
and sufficient, as containing every 


felt or feared ; 
thing that was needed to instruct, or encourage, or 
persuade him. ‘The Gospel is the only, and it is an 
adequate means; but it ig a means and nothing more, 
It is an instrument whose efficacy depends on its 
being applied by the Spirit. - It is not said, indeed, of 
the Philippian Gaoler, as it is of Lydia in the same 
city,—that “the Lord opened his heart ;” but it is 
manifest that the Spirit must have concurred with the 


THE PHILIPPIAN GAOLER. 953 


Word: the mere Word will not do it. If you doubt 
this, the same words are now, and have often been, 
addressed to you, and with a special application to 
each of your souls—“ Believe in the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” You have read 
these words, and you have often heard them before; 
and even thus much of God’s truth is sufficient to 
convert a sinner, and to bring about a sudden and 
universal change,—but only when it is applied with 
power by the Holy Ghost ; for your own experience 
may serve to conyince you, that the same words which 
converted the gaoler may be repeated often, and press- 
ed with earnestness, and fully unfolded and explained, 
and yet leave you as unconcerned and unconverted as 
before. So the gaoler might have been in danger, 
and yet have cherished his former security,—or he 
might have been visited with convictions of conscience, 
and yet have stifled them,—or he might have been 
alarmed, without inquiring after salvation,—or he 
might have inquired without discovering the truth,— 
or he might have heard the truth, without believing 
it,—had not the Spirit of God convinced him of his 
danger, and awakened a spirit of earnest inquiry, and 
made known to him the Gospel, and disposed and 
enabled him to receive and rest upon Chiist, as all 
his salvation and all his desire. 

3. We are now to consider the nature of that great 
change which was thus wrought on his mind, or ‘ 
wherein it properly consisted, and the practical fruits 
which followed it. 

It is clear that his conversion properly consisted 


254 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


in his complying with the apostle’s exhortation,— 
by “ believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.” Until he 
believed he was unconverted; but, so soon as he 
believed, he became a converted man. The produc- 
tion of true faith i 18 & new creation,—it is not a mere 
change of opinion, but a radical and thorough renova- 
tion of mind, in virtue of which it may be said, that 
from the same hour in which he “ believed in the 
Lord Jesus Christ,” he became “ a new creature: old 
things passed away; all things became new.” Not | 
that it is a small matter to be born again, but it is a 
great thing to believe. Many who have never ques- 
tioned their own faith in Christianity, and who pre- 
sume that they are believers, merely because they 
have not opposed it, may be totally unconscious of 
any thing in their own experience which bears any 
resemblance to that of the Philippian gaoler, when, 
under deep convictions of conscience, and with earnest 
desire after salvation, he was first taught the truth 
concerning Christ, and enabled to form a vivid and 
realizing conception of his office and power, as the 
real, only, and all-sufficient Saviour of sinners; but 
every one who, like him, has been really awakened to 
a sense of his sin and danger, and who has been led 
to contemplate Christ in his true character, and really 
to believe on him for salvation, will acknowledge, 
that on the instant when he acquired the first inward 
conviction of the truth, he passed, as it were, from 
darkness into marvellous ‘light,—that he then ex- 
perienced a very great change in all his views and 
feelings,—that a new mind was given to him, and a 


THE PHILIPPIAN GAOLER. 255 


new life seemed to have begun,—insomuch, that he felt 
as did the blind man when he was restored to sight. 
‘¢ One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I 
see. 
A real, simple, and scriptural raitH is that essential 
element, without which there can be no conversion, 
and in which it properly consists; but this faith has 
uniformly certain accompaniments and effects, which 


3? 


are so many proofs of its genuineness and tokens of its 
efficacy. The “ faith which is without works is dead, 
being alone ;” but living faith worketh by love. And it 
is deeply interesting to mark, in the short and simple 
narrative of the gaoler’s conversion, how soon and 
how surely the faith of the gospel is followed by the - 
peaceable fruits of righteousness. For that narrative 
bears—lIst, That he thirsted for more instruction 3 that 
he hungered for the bread of life; and was solicitous 
to know more of divine truth. For after hearing the 
answer which the apostles gave to his question, it is 
said (ver. 32), ‘They spake unto him the Word of 
the Lord ;” just as it is said that they who, on the 
day of Pentecost, “ gladly received the Word,” “ con- 
tinued stedfastly in the apostle’s doctrine and fellow- 
ship, and-breaking of bread and in prayers.” 2d, That 
he was concerned, not only for his own soul, but also | 
for the souls of his family; for “ all that were in his 
house ” were brought together to hear the Word. 3d, 
That his faith wrought by love, producing gratitude 
and kindness to his instructors; for “ he took them 
the same hour of the night and washed their stripes, "— 
‘and when he had brought them out, he set meat before 


256 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


them.” 4th, That he had peace and joy in believing: 
his fears were removed, and in their stead a new 
happiness sprung up in his bosom; ‘for * he rejoiced, 
believing in God with all his house.” And, finally, 
he made an open profession of his faith, and evinced 
his entire submission to the authority of Christ, by 
consenting to be baptized with all his family, and 
thereby declared that, even in the midst of a city 
where magistrates and people were alike opposed to 
the religion he professed, he was not “ ashamed of the 
Gospel of Christ,” since he had felt it to he “ the power 
of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” 

In this narrative we have an interesting example of 
true scriptural conversion ; and we may deduce from 
it several instructive lessons, which are applicable for 
the benefit of the Church in all ages. 

We learn from it such lessons as these :— 

1. That men, in their unconyerted state, are often 
utterly careless, and destitute alike of all fear of God, 
of all concern for their souls, and of all solicitude 
about death, and judgment, and eternity. This was 
the character of the gaoler when he was about to rush 
unprepared into the presence of his judge: and it is 
the character of many amongst ourselves, who have 
never felt that religion was a great reality—nor expe- 
rienced any deep impressions of its awful truths—nor 
spent a single hour in the serious consideration of the 
state of their souls, the relation in which they stand to 
God, and their future prospects in eternity : and who, 
« having no fear of God before their eyes,” have no 
sympathy with such as are in earnest on the subject 


it. 


THE PHILIPPIAN GAOLER. 957 


or religion, but are disposed to ridicule their exercises 
and their experience as the dreams of fanaticism. This 
utter insensibility—this death-like apathy—is one of 
the worst symptoms of a man’s spiritual state. 

2. While they are thus careless, God is often pleased 
to make use of some solemn and. awakening dispen- 
sation of providence to arouse and alarm them,—as 
the earthquake was employed in the case pefore us, 
and the unloosing of the prisoners, which threatened 
the gaoler with temporal ruin. So God brings a 
careless sinner into sudden and imminent danger, or 
visits him with affliction, with disease of body, or 
bereavement in his family, or embarrassment in his 
worldly affairs,—and this because, ** when they have 
no changes, the men of the world fear not God;” 
but when smitten by the rod of his providence, they 
may be awakened to serious thought. These afflictive 
dispensations are often useful as preparatory means; 
and many a Christian may trace hig first serious im- 
pressions to a season of personal or domestic trial ; 
but they are not effectual of themselves for thorough 
conversion, and do often, in point of fact, fall far short 
of it, as is evident in the case of Israel of old, of 
whom it is said, “ When he slew them, then they 
sought him, and they returned and inquired early after 
God; and they remembered that Ged was their 
rock, and the high God their Redeemer. Neverthe- 
less they did flatter him with their mouth, and they 
lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart 
was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in 
his covenant.” 


258 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


3. Sometimes the trials and disappointments of 
careless sinners only serve to exasperate their natural 
enmity ; and, instead of producing a meek, and quiet, 
and broken spirit, issue in the ‘“ sorrow of the world 
which worketh death,’—as was the case of the gaoler, 
when, under the pressure of unexpected calamity, his 


first impulse was to draw his sword and kill himself; . 


and of Ahithophel, who, “ when he saw that his 
counsel was not followed, saddled his ass, and arose, 
and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put 
his household in order, and hanged himself, and died 
and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.” 

4. But in other cases a work of conviction is 
wrought in the conscience, which may be more or 
Jess intense, and of longer or shorter duration, but is 
in some degree essential to saving conversion,—such 
conviction of guilt and danger as impressed the mind 
of the gaoler when he came trembling and said, ‘* What 
must I do to be saved?” This is a hopeful symptom, 
but it is not a decisive proof of a saving change; on 
the contrary, such convictions are often stifled and 
suppressed, and, instead of subduing they exasperate, 
as in the case of Felix, who trembled while Paul 
preached, but was not converted; and of those in the 
Acts, who were “cut to the heart” by the apostle’s 
doctrine, but only “ gnashed on him with their teeth;” 
and of others ‘* who were cut to the heart,” and only 
“ took counsel to slay them.” Convictions are useful 
only when they produce an earnest spirit of thought- 
fulness, and lead the sinner to inquire, “ What must 
I do to be saved?” 


Vite 
_ 


THE PHILIPPIAN GAOLER: 259 


5. The Gospel, which is mainly designed to reveal 


an answer to that question of an awakened conscience, ~ 


is the only effectual instrument of conversion —Other 
means may concur in carrying forward the prepara- 
tory process, but this alone can work the great, the 
saving change ;—all other expedients are worse than 
useless—they are pernicious and fatal to the soul. 
The only answer that ought in any case, or in any 
circumstances, to be given to the question—“ What 
must I do to be saved 2” is the answer that was re- 
turned to the Philippian Gaoler—“ Believe in the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” 

And the circumstances in which that answer was 
given throw an interesting light both on the perfect 


freeness of the Gospel, and the certainty of salvation | 


to every one that believeth ;—on its freeness, as being 


proposed even to the chief of sinners; for Paul, you 


will observe, had no scruple in proposing the full 
Gospel to the gaoler on the instant when he came to 
him, although he had hitherto been a careless, uncon- 
verted man. He did not say to him, You have been 
a great sinner, I have no Gospel for you; alittle while 
ago you drew your sword, and were about to commit 
suicide ; how can you hope to be saved? No; but 
to this trembling sinner he said on the instant, and 
without any qualification or reserve,—‘“ Believe in 
the Lord Jesus Christ ;” and that answer is the sin- 


ner’s warrant at the present hour. And it throws an | 


interesting light on the certainty of salvation ; for he 
did not say, Believe, and you may be saved; but, Be- 
lieve, and thou sHALT be saved. There is no doubt, 


260 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


no uncertainty, no cautious reserve,—but an absolute 
assurance; and that assurance is the sinners encou- 
ragement at the present hour. To every sinner, however 
careless, and however deeply convinced of sin, we are 
warranted by the apostle’s example in saying, fully 
and freely, without any conditions or exceptions, 
“ Believe in the Lord’ Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be 


saved.” 
6. Conviction ends in conversion only when a true 


sense of sin is combined with a belief of the Gospel, 
or an apprehension of the mercy of God in Chnist. 
The careless sinner may become a convinced sinner by 
the operation of natural conscience, or by the power of 
the law, aided by the awakening dispensations of Pro- 
~vidence; but he does not become a converted man 
until he believes the truth as it is in Jesus, and realizes 
the fact that Jesus isthe Christ. Conversion properly 
consists in the production of repentance and faith ; 
and a new birth is followed by a new life. Conver- 
sion by the Word produces conformity to the will of 
God, and faith is fruitful of works. All these truths 
are exemplified in the case of the gaoler at Philippi, 
and are confirmed by the experience of every believer 
at the present day. 


3% 


ns 


wee 


THE DYING MALEFACTOR. 261 


CHAPTER II. 


THE DYING MALEFACTOR. 


Luke xxiii. 82-43. 


! 


THE crucifixion of the Lord Jesus was so ordered as 
to furnish a striking illustration, at once of the depth 
of his abasement, and the certainty of his reward. To 
enhance the agony and the shame of his death, he 
was crucified between two thieves—being numbered 
with transgressors—placed on the same level, in the 
public view, with men whose lives had been justly for- 
feited by their crimes, and subjected, in his last mo- 
ments, to the painful spectacle of their sufferings ;— 
but, to evince the certainty of his reward,—to make it 
manifest that the joy which was set before him, and 
for which he endured the cross, despising the shame, 
would be realized,—and to give him as it were a pledge 
in hand, that “ he should see of the travail of his soul, 
and be satisfied,”—one of the thieves who suffered 
along with him was suddenly converted: and, in 
the lowest depths of the Redeemer’s humiliation,—in 
the darkest hour of the power of darkness, when 
Satan’s policy seemed to be crowned with complete 


— 


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ae he is we 2 

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262 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. — 


- Pd 
x e ° 
- success,—this immortal soul was snatched as a brand 


from the burning, and given to Christ as a pledge of 
his triumph, and the first-fruits of a glorious harvest. r 
While others mocked and reviled him, and when his | 


. chosen disciples stood aloof, the dying malefactor re- : 


lented—his conscience awoke—his heart was touched ; 


and, amidst the ridicule, and the execrations, and _ 


the blasphemies of that awful hour, one solitary voice 
was heard, issuing from the cross beside him, which 
called him “ Lorp,”’ and which spake of his “ KING- 
pom” in accents of faith, and penitence and prayer. 


And how must that voice have gladdened. the Saviour’s . = 
heart! and imparted to him, in the midst of his bit- _ “ 
terest agony, a foretaste’as it were of the “ joy ‘that 4 
was set before him,’ —exhibiting, as it did, a proof of ~ 
the ‘efficacy of his death, the faithfulness of God’s ; 
covenant promise, and the certainty of his reward! ~~ 


for if, even now on the cross, and before his work | F: 

was finished, ‘this stricken spirit fled to him for refuge, ) 
% 

and was quickened into spiritual life in the very hour 


- of death,—was it not a sure pledge and earnest, that 


he should yet bring many sons and daughters to glory, 
“when, being by God’s right hand exalted to the throne, ‘ 
he should receive the promise of the Father, and shed. 


forth the Spirit from on high ? és j 
I. In reference to the state of this man’s mind 

before the time of his conversion, nothing is recorded 

that would lead us to suppose that he had ever 

thought seriously of religion, or acquired any know- ¥ 


ledge of the Gospel, until he was brought to Calvary. 
He is described as a malefactor, and more ae 


- ~. 


*% 


et 


— 


THE DYING MALEFACTOR. 963 


as a thief or robber—a desperate character—fearing 
neither God nor man; whose crimes exposed him to 
the highest penalties of the law; and his own confes- 


sion admits the justice of the sentence under which he | 


suffered—*“ We receive the due reward of our deeds.” 


* On a comparison of the parallel passages in the Gos- 3 4 
pels of Matthew and Mark, it would seem that at first ~ 


he had joined with the other malefactor in reviling 
the Saviour; for, in the one, it is said, ‘* The thieves 
also which were crucified with him, cast the same in 
his teeth ;” and. inthe other, “ They that were cruci- 
fied with him reviled him ;”’—expressions which may 
indeed, be interpreted, generally, as descriptive of 
Christ’s extreme humiliation in being subjected to re- 
proach from such a quarter,—this class of men being 
spoken of as partaking in the crime of embittering. his 


last moments, just as the soldiers are said to have filled” 
.» 4 sponge with vinegar, because one or more of them 


did so ; but if they be understood as applying specifi- 
cally to each of the two, they are sufficient to show 
that, at first, the one who was converted was as un- 
godly and as guilty as the other. 


But immediately before his conversion, and prepa- 


ratory to it, a change seems to have been wrought in 


’ the state of his mind,—a change which consisted in a . 


deep conviction of sin, and a just sense of his own, 


demerit on account of it. For when one of the male- 


factors railed on Jesus, the other answering “ rebuked 
him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing that thou 
art in the same condemnation ?, And we indeed justly ; 
for we receive the due reward of our deeds.” The 


A 


964 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


whole process was so suddenly accomplished in this 
case, that it is difficult to say whether, in the order of 
time, the convictions which are expressed in this re- 
‘markable confession preceded, by any perceptible inter- 
val, his cordial reception of the truth ; but as, in the 
order of nature, conviction precedes conversion, we 
may consider it as part of his experience, while as 
yet he was in a state of transition from darkness to 
light. The words of his confession imply—that his 
conscience, which, by the commission of crime, might 
have been seared as with a hot iron, was now deeply 
impressed with asense of sin; and it was a true sense 
of sin,—not the mere “ sorrow of the world which 
worketh death ;” but godly sorrow, working towards 
genuine repentance : for, although the condemnation 
of which he speaks might be the temporal sentence 
of death, pronounced and executed by his fellow-men, 


his language shows, that he viewed his guilt with re- 
ference not to men merely, but to God also—to God, 


as the supreme Lawgiver and the final Judge. As a 
\- resident at Jerusalem, or at least in Judea, the seat 
of true religion, he had probably enjoyed some of the 
advantages of early religious instruction, and had been 
taught some of the elementary truths of Scripture 5 
for he speaks of God, the only living and true God, 
whose name he knew and feared, although he had 
lived in the violation of his law. The thought of 
God asa Lawgiver and Judge was now vividly present 
to his mind; and the conception of God’s character, 
combined with the inherent power of conscience, 
which, even in the breasts of the most depraved, is 


THE DYING MALEFACTOR. 965 


never altogether extinguished, produced that convic- 
tion of sin which is invariably accompanied with the 
fear of God, and of a judgment to come. So long as 
God can be kept out of view, there may be a secret 
consciousness of guilt, without any sensible alarm, or 
apprehension of danger; and hence the malefactor's 
question to his hardened fellow-sufferer—‘“ Dost thou 
not fear God ?” but so soon as God is present to the 
mind, every conscience intuitively connects guilt with 
danger, and awakens fear of the wrath to come,’ for 
conscience instinctively points to God as a Judge—sto 
God as an avenger. 

_ But, in the case before us, as in every other, where 
there is a commencement of a work of grace in the 
heart, conviction of sin was accompanied, not only 


with the fear of danger, but with such a sense of de- » 


merit, as led to the acknowledgment, that punish- 
ment was justly deserved. This is not always implied 
in the mere terrors of an awakened conscience, and 
would be altogether repudiated by a conscience still 
asleep. The malefactor who railed at Jesus might 
not be able to deny his guilt, and he might yield him- 
self as a passive and unresisting victim to the arm of 
public justice, merely because he could not, by any 
resistance, escape from the punishment of his crimes; 
but had he been asked to acknowledge that he justly 
merited the bitter death which he was called to en- 
dure, he would, too probably, have denied that he was 
so guilty as to deserve such a punishment, and com- 


plained of the hardship and severity of his case. In 


reference to God, the supreme Judge, and the retri- 
& 


966 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


butions of an eternal world, he seems to have had no 
fear; for he could join, even at that solemn hour, and 
in spite of his own sufferings, in the insults and blas- 
phemies which were poured out on the meek and 
lowly Saviour: but even had his conscience been so 
far awakened, as to impress him with the fear of God 
and eternity, he might still have been utterly destitute 
of that deep sense of the evil nature of sin, which led 
his fellow-sufferer to acknowledge that he was receiv- 
ing only the due reward of his deeds. A convinced 
siimer may tremble, as Felix did, when he heard of 
temperance, and righteousness, and judgment to come ; 
and he may be conscious of a deep horror when he 
hears of “The worm that shall never die, and the fire 
that cannot be quenched:” yet the omniscient eye 
of Him who can analyse the confused emotions of a 
sinner’s heart, might not discern there any one ele- 
ment of genuine contrition ; on the contrary, He might 
find the fear of wrath, and the dread of hell, com- 
bined with an invincible spirit of opposition to God’s 
authority,—an undying reluctance to condemn his own 
sin, and an unyielding determination to deny the rec- 
titude and reasonableness of its penalty. And when, 
therefore, the poor malefactor was so far convinced of 
his sin, as not only to be impressed with a sense of 
his danger, but also with a sense of his demerit, and 
of God’s justice, we see the commencement of a great 
change, which affords the best and most hopeful symp- 
tom of his ultimate and entire conversion. 

II. While he was thus changed so as tohave become 
a convinced sinner, he was not yet a converted man, 


THE DYING MALEFACTOR, 267 


but his conversion immediately followed; and it will 
be interesting now to inquire into the circumstances © 
which accompanied, and the means which, under 
God’s blessing, effected that great change. It was alike 
complete and sudden,—it was wrought, like the con-’ 
version of the gaoler, in a short space of time, and yet 
it amounted to an entire revolution in all his views 
and habits, insomuch, that he became a new man,—and, 
born on the cross, he passed into heaven. N ow, what 
was there in the circumstances in which he was placed, 
and in the means which were brought to bear upon 
him, that could account for so great a change ? 

If we place ourselves in his circumstances,—if, by 
a strong mental effort, we bring ourselves to look on 
the scene which he saw, and to realize, by the eye of 
faith, what then passed before the eye of sense,—if, 
joining the crowd which thronged the judgment-hall 
of Pilate, we listened with the same personal interest 
which the poor thief must have felt, when Pilate made 
the proposal to release one or other of the condemned, 
—did we then join the tumultuous procession, and 
follow the meek sufferer as he slowly walked along 
with the thieves, “ followed by a great company of 
people, and of women, who lamented and bewailed 
him,”—did we hear the words of warning and con- 
solation which he spake to the daughters of Jerusa- 
lem,—did we stand beside him on the hill, when the 
cross which Simeon was honoured to bear was firmly 
plantedgin the ground,—did we see “ the man of sor- 
rows’ carried by violence, and nailed to the accursed tree, 
—did we look on his benignant countenance, and listen 


268 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


to his awful words,—did we behold the sudden dark- 
ening of the sky, and the rending of the rocks, which 
gave a deep impressiveness to the scene; then, with 
our knowledge of the personal dignity of the sufferer, 
the causes, design, and end of his death, and the fulness 
of all gospel truth, which is embodied in his cross, 
we could have no difliculty in conceiving how such a 
scene, so witnessed and so understood, might have 
converted any sinner unto God. It is, indeed, nothing 
else than a spiritual view of the scene then witnessed 
on Calvary, which is the chief means of every con- 
version, the cross of Christ being to every instructed 
disciple the power of God and the wisdom of God 
unto salvation,—insomuch, that every believer will say 
with the apostle, “ God forbid that I should glory, 
save inthe cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Looking 
back to that scene with the eye of faith, the Christian 
derives from it all his sublimest views, and his holiest 
impressions of the truth; he delights to contemplate 
what the poor malefactor was then privileged to wit- 
ness; and as often as he reviews the events of that 
awful hour, he is filled with awe and wonder, with 
admiration, and gratitude, and Joy. 

But while the scene at Calvary must appear to 
every instructed mind the most solemnly interesting 
and the most profoundly instructive scene which was 
ever witnessed on earth,—it was quite possible that, 
to an unenlightened mind, it might fail to impart any 
spiritual or salutary impression; and we ayg to put 
ourselves into the place of this poor malefactor, and 
inquire what were the means of his conversion, when 


THE DYING MALEFACTOR. 269 


it is clear he came to Calvary in a state of great 
ignorance and guilt, and yet was suddenly brought 
out of darkness into marvellous light. 

We have already seen that he had been brought 


under convictions of sin, such as are sufficient to show “ 


that, depraved and guilty as he had been, he had still 
a conscience in his breast, and some notion, however 
obscure and feeble, of God as a Lawgiver, Governor, 
and Judge. He was a man—a poor, wretched, and 


degraded man; but still a man, and therefore a fit - 


and capable subject of conversion; and partly from 
the light of nature, which is never altogether extin- 
guished, and partly from his early education in a 
country where the knowledge and worship of the true 
God were established, he had acquired the knowledge 
of some elementary truths, such as the being and pro- 


vidence of God, the difference betwixt right and wrong, 


the demerit and sure punishment of sin, which was 
sufficient to awaken remorse and apprehension, but 
had no power to effect his conversion. Real conyer- 


sion to God depends on the knowledge and belief of » 


the truth as it is in Jesus: how, then, was this poor 
malefactor converted, and whence did he derive his 
acquaintance with that truth which alone maketh wise 
unto salvation? Oh! it is deeply interesting to mark 
how a heart that has been opened by the Spirit of 
God, and awakened to earnest and serious inquiry, 
will pick up the fragments of Gospel truth in what- 
ever form they may be presented to it, and will find 
nourishment in the very crumbs which fall from the 
Master's table! for, in the case before us, there was 


%S 


270 j ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


no formal discourse,—no full disclosure of doctrine, 
no systematic instruction; but his eye was opened to 
observe, and his ear to hear, and his heart to receive 
the truth as if was presented incidentally during his 
progress from Pilate’s hall to the hill of Calvary, and 
exhibited before his crucifixion there ;*—-and there are 
just three sources-from which he derived those simple 
lessons which sufficed for his conversion :— 

The first was, the testimony of Christ's friends,— 


mot only the testimony of Pilate, who declared that 


“Tehad found no fault in him,” but that of many 
others who bore. witness to his spotless character, and 
of whom it is said (ver. 27), that “There followed him 
a great company of people, and of women, which 
also bewailed and lamented him.” The innocence of 
Christ-was thus impressed on the malefactor’s mind, 
and is pointedly referred to in his confession,—‘* We 
receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man 
hath done nothing amiss.” 

The second was, the deportment of Christ—the 


‘meek majesty of that suffering Saviour,—the words he 


uttered, breathing a spirit so different from that of 
this world,—these seem to have deepened the impres- 
sion of his innocence and worth. His address to the 


i. daughters of Jerusalem, so solemn, yet so tender ; and 
still more, the prayer for his murderers—“ Father, 


forgive them, for they know not what they do ;”—that 
address, and this prayer, pronounced at such an hour, 


the one exhibiting a prophet’s faithfulness, the other | 


a Saviour’s love, and both breathing a spirit of meek 


* See an admirable sermon by Dr M‘Crie. 


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ee tyes 
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THE DYING MALEFACTOR. a at 
i Re 
— a. 
submission to God’s will, and intimating the guilt of he: 
sin, the certainty of future judgment, and the neces- ‘ _ 
sity of forgiveness,—these few words, uttered in such 4 a 
circumstances, might reveal to the poor malefactor _ + | 
4 , - ae “ ye abics a met he 
such a view of Christ as would irresistibly impress x ee. q 
him with the conviction that he was no common suf- i e 
ferer, and that his was no ordinary death 2 and con-) © * ” 
. . . * + iN 
strain him to believe that he was none other than the ae ie 
Son of God, and the Saviour of men,—the Son of Oi ee 
God, for he calls him Father,—and the Saviour of hae 
oH 


men, for he prayed for the forgiveness of his very 
murderers, 

But there was a third : he was not left to ponder on 
the scene without a commentary, and that commen- 
tary was furnished by the Saviour’s enemies,—first of 

- all, in the sneers and blasphemies which they uttered ; 
and secondly, in the inscription which was put on the 
cross. They meant it not; but in these they gave 
such a testimony to the Saviour, as sufficed for he 
conversion of his fellow-sufferer. “ The rulers,” “we 


read, derided him, saying, “ He saved others.” Yes,” 


he saved others; he had healed the sick, and given 
eyes to the blind, and ears to the deaf, and life to the _ 
dead ; and that testimony to Christ’s miraculous power | 
sunk deep into the heart of the dying man beside him. 
But who was this to whom his very enemies gaye _ 
witness, that ‘ he saved others,” or what did he pro- 
fess to be? This also the dying malefactor learned 
from their lips: “ Let him save himself, if he be the 
Christ, the chosen of God,’—“ If thou be the king 
of the Jews, saye thyself ;” and they put a superscrip- 


ey 
ian 


at 
tay 


28% 


972 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


tion over him,—“< This is the king of the Jems.” 
These words, used in ridicule or rancorous hatred, 
conveyed to the mind of the malefactor the idea of 
what Christ claimed and professed to be ; and when 
combined with what he had seen and heard,—with 
the testimony which had been given to his miraculous 
powers, now confirmed by the preternatural darkness 
of the sky, and the rending of the rocks,—with what 
he had witnessed of his godlike bearing, “ full of 
grace and truth,” and with the words witch had fallen 
from his lips,—they carried to his heart the con- 
viction that the illustrious sufferer was indeed the Son 
of God, the Christ, the Messiah that had been pro-« 
mised to the fathers; that, although suspended on the 
cross, he was the king ; and if a king, then he had a 
kingdom 3 and immediately the prayer of faith broke 
from his quivering lips, ‘‘ Lord, remember me when 
thou comestinto thy kingdom !” 

Ill. If we now consider, the nature of the great 
change which was thus suddenly produced, or wherein 
it properly consisted, and the results which flowed 
_ from it, we shall find that the turning point of his con- 
version was his believing that Jesus was the Christ. 
This was precisely the point in question, both with 
the scornful multitude and the subdued malefactor. 
They doubted—he pele ed. They required another 


kind of evidence,— Let him come down from the © 


cross, and we will believe on him :” he did not come 
down from the cross, but having died there, he arose 
from the dead, and their unbelief remained; but the 
dying malefactor, satisfied with the evidence already 


THE DYING MALEFACTOR. 273 


given, saw his glory through the veil of his humilia- 


tion, and, embracing him in his true character as the © 


Christ, the chosen of God, he believed to the saving 
of his soul. 


It was simply by faith—and by faith 3 in the simple 


truth, that Jesus is the Christ—that this man passed “ 


from death unto life; but here was great faith indeed. 
For consider the circumstances in which Christ. was 
then placed.. He was in the lowest depths of his 
humiliation,—in the extremest hour of his agony on 
the accursed tree,—suffering the sentence of death as 
a public criminal,—surrounded by multitudes who 
ridiculed and reviled him,—forsaken by his chosen 
disciples, and complaining that he had been forsaken 
of God himself; yet, in these circumstances of humi- 
liation, and sorrow, and shame, the dying malefactor 
called him Lord, and spake of his kingdom, and ad- 
dressed him in the language of prayer! Yes; when 
Jesus was slowly dying on the cross, and had no pros- 
pect of life, still less of a kingdom on earth, the poor 
malefactor showed at once the greatness of his faith, 
and his correct apprehension of the nature of Christ’s 


kingdom, by uttering a prayer which implied in it the. 


hope of his own immortality, and of a spiritual and 
eternal kingdom in heaven. Here was a manifesta- 
tion of faith to which we can. pu no parallel in the 
history of the apostles themselves. They called him 
Lord after his resurrection ; b ‘this man calls him 
Lord on the very cross ;—they spake of his kingdom, 
but doubtfully, and with many gross earthly anticipa- 
tions: “ We ¢rusted that it had been he which should 


274 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


have redeemed Israel ;” and, ‘‘ Lord! wilt thou at this 
time restore the kingdom to Israel?” but this man 
speaks of his kingdom as a future inheritance, whose 
certainty was not affected by his shameful and ignomi- 
nious death. And believing in Christ as the Lord’s 
Anointed—the Messiah which had been promised 
unto the fathers, he embraced him as his own Saviour, 
—encouraged, doubtless, by the grace which he had 
witnessed, and by that most merciful prayer for his 
murderers, he felt that he could ‘confide and trust in 
such a friend ; and therefore he addressed him in the 
language of believing prayer—‘ Lord, remember me 
when thou comest into thy kingdom.” 

This prayer is alike touching from its simplicity 
and remarkable for its comprehensive brevity. He 
seemed to ask little, yet he asked every thing that was 
necessary for his everlasting welfare: ‘ Lord remem- 
ber me,” was his simple and modest request ; but it 
included much,—it cast him on the Saviour’s care,—it 
put his soul into the Saviour’s hands,—it expressed 
his faith, his dependence, his desire, his hope: as if 
he had said, I am a poor dying sinner: thou art a 
king going to thy kingdom,—thou canst save me. I 
leave myself in thy hands; I lean on thy love ; Lord! 
remember me! 

The circumstances of the case did not admit of that 
full exhibition of the practical fruits of conversion 
which adorn the life and conversation of every true 
believer ; for he was converted at the eleventh hour, 
and was no sooner converted than he died and enter- 
ed into glory. We have, however, even in this brief 


THE DYING MALEFACTOR, 275° 


narrative, some precious indications of the great moral 
change which had been wrought on his mind and 
heart. He evinced a true sense of sin, a thorough 


conviction of its demerit, a just apprehension of the ~ 


punishment that was due to it; an awful fear of God, 
a lively trust and confidence in the Saviour, a serious 
thoughtfulness in regard to the future, a disposition 
to pray, and a new-born but honest zeal for righte-_ 
ousness and truth, which prompted him to rebuke his 
fellow-sufferer in these remarkable words,—** Dost 
thou not fear God, seeing that thou art in the same 
condemnation ; and we indeed justly, for we receive 
the due reward of our deeds;” and these new principles 
and feelings would no doubt have evinced their power, 
by altering all his habits and his whole course of life, 
had life been prolonged. It is true, that in many 
cases, serious thoughts of God, and judgment, and 
eternity, are often awakened in the souls of uncon=. 
verted men, when they have the near prospect of 
death, and that, in many cases, when health is restor- 
ed and life prolonged, they “ vanish like the morning 
cloud, and the early dew.” So that in the case of 
most late conversions, there is a painful feeling of 
doubt as to the genuineness and stability of those 
good resolutions which are awakened in the mere 
prospect of death, such as must prevent any very 
certain deliverance on the actual state and eternal 
prospects of such as are not spared to verify their pro- 
fession by a consistent Christian life. But in the in- 
stance before us there is no room for doubt; we have 
the infallible testimony of Christ himself sealing this 


a -, 


276 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES, 


man’s conversion, and assuring him of eternal glory. 
The grand result of the change that was wrought 
upon him on the cross, is declared in these words,— 
“ Verily, I say unto thee, this day shalt thou be with 
me in paradise.” No sooner was the prayer uttered, 
than the promise was given; and that promise was to 
be immediately fulfilled. The Lord gives more than 
was asked: the malefactor’s request was, “ Lord, re- 
member me!” but the answer far exceeded the de- 
mand; it spake to him of paradise, and of Christ’s 
presence there, and of his admission that very day. 
What a sudden transition—what a glorious change! 
A malefactor condemned for his crimes to die,—led 
to Calvary that he might be nailed to a cross,—con- 
verted there as he hung between life and death, on 
the brink of eternity,—and on the self-same-day born 
again, justified, adopted, saved ; translated from earth 
to heayen—from Calvary to Paradise—from a cross of 
shame to a throne of glory ! 

On a review of the interesting narrative to which 
our attention has been directed, we may derive from 
it many instructive lessons which are applicable to all 
sinners at the present day. 

1. It exhibits a remarkable proof of the Saviour’s 
power. That this malefactor was a great sinner, only 
serves to show that He by whom he was delivered 
was a great Saviour:—that he had reached the ex- 
treme point of guilt, and the very end of life, only 
serves to make it clear that ‘“ Christ is able to save 
unto the uttermost.” The power of Christ to subdue 
the most hardened sinner, and his power to cancel the 


THE DYING MALEFACTOR, 277 


most aggravated guilt, and his power to open the gate 
of heaven, and secure our admission there,—all this is 
evinced with undeniable certainty by the fact, that 
even in the lowest depths of his humiliation, before 
his work was finished, or his reward secured, he 
snatched this brand from the burning, and rescued 
this captive from the power of Satan, and carried him 
as a trophy from the cross, when he entered within 
the veil. And oh! if such was Christ’s power then, 
who should now despair, who knows that Jesus,—then 
on the cross, is now upon the throne,—exalted as a 
Prince and Saviour, to give repentance and remission 
of sins. 

2. It exhibits a precious proof of the perfect free- 
ness of his grace. Loaded with crime, and standing 
on the very verge of an eternal world, what could 
have been of any avail to this poor sinner but grace, 
and grace that was perfectly free. Righteousness he 
had none; good works he had none: he was self- 
convicted and self-condemned; and he had nothing 
before him but the certain fearful looking for of judg- 
ment, unless God had grace, and that grace were 
free. But when he heard the Saviour pray for his 
murderers—when he heard him pray for ther for- 
giveness, the idea of free grace to pardon sin seems to 
have entered into his inmost soul, and he ventured to 
ask that the Lord would remember him ; and imme- 
diately, such was the grace of Christ, he required no. 
previous qualifications, demanded no acquired merit, 
imposed no conditions, made no stipulations of any 
kind; but gave him at once an answer in peace, and 


278 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES 


a full and irreversible promise of admission into glory, 
—and this, too, while he was in such agony as might 
have been expected to concentrate all his care upon 
himself; yet even then he had room in his heart for 
the sorrows of this poor sinner. 

3. It has been remarked, that in the Bible this is a 
solitary example.of a man being converted at the hour 
of death; there being one such instance that none 
may despair, and only one, that none may presume. 
Presumption and despair are the two great rocks on 
which we are ever in danger of making shipwreck ; 
and this narrative may well serve to guard us against 
both. Against despair,—for why should any man 
despair who reads of the thief who was converted on 
the cross; and against presumption,—for who dare 
presume when he reads that there was another thief 
on another cross, who died, unconverted there? The 
hoariest sinner that lives may be encouraged by the 
one, but the boldest sinner may be deterred by the 
other. <‘ The one was taken and the other left.” 

4. We learn from this narrative how little of God's 
~ truth may serve for conversion, if it be suitably 
umproved by the hearer, and savingly applied by the 
Spirit. The penitent on the cross was saved by means 
of mere fragments of truth, and these presented to him 
in the blasphemies of Christ’s accusers and the inscrip- 
tion on his cross. ‘This is a delightful thought, when 
it is viewed in connection with the case of the poor 
and ignorant, and of others who live under a dark or 
defective dispensation of truth; but it is unutterably 
solemn, when viewed in connection with our own 


THE DYING MALEFACTOR. 279 
case, for how shall we escape if we die unconverted, 
after the light we have received—the many sermons 
we have heard —the much truth which we have. 
slighted and despised ! 

5. We learn, that on the instant of his conversion, 


a sinner acquires all the rights and privileges of a - 


child of God, and that, if he die immediately there- 
after, he will immediately pass into glory. No sooner 
was this malefactor converted, than he was assured by 


the Lord himself, that on the self-same day he should ~ 


be with him in paradise. Had he lived on earth, he 
would have been capable of growth and increase in 
grace ; but the new creature, although but as a new- 
born babe, is entire in all its members, and capable of 
entering into the kingdom, however short its earthly 


span. - 


280 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


CHAPTER IIL. “ 


PAUL. 


Acts ix, ]1=22. 


Tris case of conversion is, in many respects, the most 
remarkable of all the examples which the Spirit of 
God has recorded for the instruction of the Church. 
Saul of Tarsus, the Jewish persecutor, was suddenly 
converted into Paul, the Christian philanthropist, the 
zealous apostle of the Gentiles. And whether we 
consider the masculine talents, the education, the 
learning, the morals of the man; or the suddenness 
and magnitude of the change which was wrought 
upon him; or the rich and varied fruits of personal 
holiness, and public usefulness which sprung from it, 
——we shall discover ample reason for regarding him 
as one of the most signal monuments of the riches 
and the efficacy of divine grace. It is peculiarly for- 
tunate, too, that, in this instance, our materials are so 
abundant, that there can be no difficulty in forming a 
correct conception, both of his state of mind before his 
conversion, and of his experience afterwards ; for not 
only have we three distinct accounts of his conversion 


PAUL. 281 


‘ 

in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts ix. 1—22; xxii. 9; 
xxvi. 4-9), but several instructive references to it in 
some of his epistles (as Gal. i. 13; 1 Cor. xv. 9); 
while every part of his writings teems with illustra- 
tions of the magnitude and extent of that great spiri- 
tual change, by which the persecutor became a preacher 
of the faith he had despised. 

I. In reference to the state of his mind before his 
conversion, we derive much interesting information 
from various parts of his writings. It is evident, I 
think, that, 2m point of intellectual culture and at- 
tainment, as well as natural vigour and energy of 
mind, he was superior, not only to most of the primi- 
tive converts, but to all his fellow-apostles. It appears 
that, from his infancy, he had shared in the rich ad- 
vantages of a liberal education ; and that, as he ad- 
vanced in years, he was introduced to lettered and 
cultivated society, which his capacious mind was qua- 
lified at once to appreciate and to improve. In a 
notice which is incidentally giyen of his early life, we 
read that he was born in Tarsus, the chief city of 
Cilicia, a capitol long distinguished for a University, 
where Grecian learning was taught with eminent suc- 
cess. Whether he attended that University or not is 
uncertain ; but, from the frequent and appropriate quo- 
tations which he makes in several of his speeches and 
epistles from the poets and philosophers of Greece, 


it is certain that there, or elsewhere, he had acquired i 


a knowledge of polite literature, and a taste for the 
pursuits of learning. He could speak to the polished 


Athenians, on Mars’ hill, in their own exquisite tongue, ; 


# 


> * 


“> 


282 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


‘(Acts xvii. 22.) \ During his abode at Tarsus, indeed, 


he had, in part, followed the occupation of his father, 
as a tent-maker,—for it was the custom of good fami- 
lies among the Jews to bring up their children to a 
trade, even though they should be destined to the 


more liberal pursuits of learning ; and the advantage — 


of this early training was afterwards exemplified in 
the experience of this remarkable man. We find 
that, while he was yet young, he left Tarsus, and re- 
paired to J erusalem, the chief seat at once of Jewish 
learning and religion,—probably with the view of 
pursuing his scriptural studies, and qualifying himself 
for the sacred office of scribe, or doctor of the law; 
and he there enjoyed the privilege of studying under 
Gamaliel, who is described ‘‘ as a member of the coun- 
cil, and doctor of the law, had in reputation among 
all the people.” He had enjoyed, then, the best op- 
portunities which his age afforded, for becoming ac- 
quainted both with Greek and Jewish literature ;— 
and that he had genius to relish, and industry to 
profit by these advantages, appears from his wonder- 
ful writings and labours in after-life, as well as from 
his own testimony—“ I am verily a Jew, born in 
Tarsus, a city of Cilicia, yet brought up in this city 
at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the 
perfect manner of the law of the fathers,’-—“ And I 
profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals,” 
or contemporaries, “‘ in mine own nation.” 

In respect, again, to his religious opinions and 
moral habits, it is clear that he was by conviction, as 
well as in profession, a Jew—holding the faith of the 


ax 


PP ne, 


Old Testament, and observing the worship of the one 


living and true God, in opposition to all the false, but 
fediitien forms of polytheistic superstition, which 


prevailed among: the other nations, and which had 
been adorned with all the attractions of poetry, and 
painting, and sculpture, by the genius of Greece and 
Rome ;—and not a Jew only, but a Pharisee—a 
strict professor of the Jewish faith—maintaining, in 
opposition to the Sadducees, who were, both in their 


principles and habits, the libertines of the age, those 5 


grand doctrines which they had discarded ,—such ag 
the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the 
body, and the certainty of a judgment to come; and 
exhibiting, in his outward deportment, a fair, and 
even a strict example, both of ceremonial observance 
and of civil virtue. His own account of his early life 
shows that he was never, either in his own estimation, 
or in that of his fellow-men, irreligious or immoral ; 
on the contrary, he says, “ My manner of life from my 
youth, which was at the first among my own nation 
at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; who knew me from 
the beginning, if they would testify, that after the 
most straitest sect of our religion, I lived a Phari- 
see.” (Acts xxvi. 4.) “And I profited in the Jews’ 
religion above many mine equals in mine own nation, 
being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of 
my fathers.” (Gal. i. 14.) “Though I might also 
have confidence in the flesh. If any other man 
thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the 
flesh, I more: circumcised the eighth day, of the 
stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew 


7“ 


Y, 


284 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


of the Hebrews ; as touching the law, a Pharisee ; con- 
cerning zeal, persecuting the Church: touching the 
righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” (Phil. 
i. 4.) Such is the account which he gives us of his 
character before his conversion,—an account which 
may, at first sight, appear to be. inconsistent with 
those humbling confessions, and those deep penitential 
feelings which he uttered in other parts of his writ- 
ings, where he speaks of himself as “ less than the 
Jeast of all saints,” and as the very “ chief of sinners ;” 
but, on farther reflection, these expressions, when 
compared together, will only serve to show that the 
fairest exterior may conceal an unsanctified heart ; 
and that a correct creed, and a moral life, may well 
consist with the absolute necessity of regeneration. It 
is not said that he was any thing more than ‘a Phari- 
see; and our Lord himself declared to his disciples, 
“ Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness 
of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in nowise enter 


into the kingdom of God.” He knew the law in its 


letter, and yet was ignorant of its spirit and power ; 


_ for, at a subsequent period, he made this acknowledg- 


-ment—“ I was alive without the law once; but when 


the commandment came, sin revived, and [ died.” 
By the law is the knowledge of sin: but it is by the 
Jaw spiritually understood; and hence he was desti- 
tute of any true sense of sin, till he was impressed 
with the spirituality of the law. “I had not known 
sin, unless the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” 
In this state of mind he was neither more nor less 
than a zealous formalist,—resting in the correctness 


itr 285 


of his creed and the decency of his life, and the strict- 
ness of his religious observances,—while his heart was 
far from being right with God; and shared largely 
in the character which is ascribed to the sect to which 
he belonged, when it is said of them, that “they 
trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and 
despised others.” 

In respect, again, to his views of Christ and the 
Gospel, he was not only an wnbeliever, but a violent 
persecutor of the Christian Church. Here is a 
melancholy combination of apparently opposite and 


incompatible qualities of character: a learned, reli- _ 


gious, moral, and self-righteous man, evincing a dis- 
position to oppress and exterminate the followers of 
the meek and lowly Jesus. We read that, at Stephen's 
martyrdom, ‘the witnesses laid down their erties 
at-a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul;” and 
“ that Saul was consenting unto his death.” And 
during the great persecution which followed, it is said, 
‘6 Ag for Saul, he made havock of the Church, entering 
into every house, and haling men and women, com- 
mitted them to prison.” Nay, not content with this, 
his zeal urged him to proceed farther: “ And Saul, 
yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against 
the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 
and desired of him letters to Damascus to the syna- 
gogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they 
were men or women, he might bring them bound unto 
Jerusalem.” On this subject, he often expressed, after 
his conversio a, 


re 


. the ct and most penitential sorrow ; ‘ 


286 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES, 


advice of his great master, Gamaliel, Acts y, 34 ; yet 

I apprehend that we are not entitled to regard it as a 
proof, either that he was naturally cruel in his dispo- 
sition, or insincere in the profession of his former faith. 
It is true, indeed, that persecution for conscience’ sake 
can, in no case, be defended,—and this was afterwards 
acknowledged by the apostle himself; but then it 
ought to be remembered that the principle of tolera- 
tion was not recognised in the age in which he lived, 
and never exemplified—whatever may be said of the 
“mild spirit of Paganism ”*—where there was any 
thing that opposed, and would not coalesce with its 
polytheism. We are too apt, in judging of Paul’s 
conduct to the Primitive Christians, to carry with us 
all our modern ideas of liberality and mutual tolera- 
tion, and, by applying these to his case, to draw from 
it a very harsh and injurious reflection against his 
character. But it is a well-known historical fact, that 
some of the most violent persecutors of the Church 

_ have been, in their private character, not only devoutly 
5J " attached to their own religion, but tenderly affection- 
ate to their friends: such, for example, was Marcus 
& Aurelius, in Ancient Rome; and Charles the First, 
and Sir Thomas More, in our own country. They 
resembled the “devout and honourable women,” of 
whom we read in the Acts “that they were stirred 
up, with the chief men of the city, to raise persecution 
against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of 
their coasts.” It was zeal, blended with deplorable 
ignorance, rather than any ferocious or Savage dispo- 

* Gibbon, aoe 


PAUL. | 287 


sition, which in these, and similar cases, led to perse- 


cution ; and, considering the tenderness of heart, and — 


warmth of affection, which were subsequently mani- 
fested by the apostle of the Gentiles, I cannot help 
believing that it was the perfect sincerity of his attach- 
ment to the law of Moses which prompted him to 
oppose what he then conceived to be an impious in- 
novation, and that it was his very zeal for what he 
thought to be the cause of God, which stirred him 
up to persecute what he no doubt believed to be a 
dangerous heresy. In most cases of controversy, and 
especially in those in which controversy ends in perse- 


cution, it will generally be found, that there is at least 


an inage of right and justice for which each party 
contends; and that zeal for what they conceive to be 
truth and justice, gives them a consciousness of sin- 
cerity even in an unholy cause. We might find many 
illustrations of this remark in the controversies of 
modern times. But, in the case before us, I think 


it is clear that Saul had “a zeal for God, but not 


according to knowledge,’—that he was ignorantly 
opposing the same authority which he professed to 
revere,—that the very sincerity of his attachment to 
the traditions of his fathers, made him unapt to enter- 
tain the thought, that, in persecuting the followers of 
Christ, he might probably be found to fight against 
God,—for such is the account which he gave of his 
present state of mind after his conversion, when, pene- 
trated with a conviction of his guilt, and deeply hum- 
bled on account of it, he could still say, “I verily 
thought that I ought’—a false sense of duty is clearly 


vn’ 


Li 


988 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


implied—“ Todo many things contrary to the name 
of Jesus of Nazareth; and many of the saints did I 
shut up in prison, having received authority of the 
chief priests; and when they were put to death, I 
gave my voice against them. And I punished them 
oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blas- 
pheme: and being exceedingly mad against them, I 
persecuted them even unto strange cities.” (Acts xxvi. 
9.) And again, “ I was before a blasphemer, and a 
persecutor, and injurious ; but I obtained mercy, be- 
cause [ did it ignorantly, and in unbelief’ (1 Tim. 
Lhe) 

Such seems to have been the character of Saul; 
and there is enough in it, both to account for his 
opposition to the Gospel, and to show that he needed, 
not less than the reckless gaoler at Philippi, or the 
poor malefactor on the cross, to undergo a great spiritual 
change before he could enter into the kingdom. His 


_character was, indeed, so respectable, that some, look- 


ing only to the fair exterior, may be at a loss to dis- 
cover in this learned, religious, moral, and self-righ- 


- teous man, anything else than his violent opposition 


to the Gospel, in persecuting its first professors, that 


called for any change ; but, on deeper reflection, they 
- will find cause to believe, that his vehement zeal ‘* in 


breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the 
disciples of the Lord,” if it did not necessarily imply a 
cruel and bloodthirsty disposition, did at least indicate 
a frame of mind in all respects opposed to the spiri- 
tual and benign genius of the Gospel,—and that it is 
to be regarded as the natural fruit, and the outward 


é 


PAUL. | 289 


manifestation, of a rancorous aversion to the truth as 
it is in Jesus. - It showed that, in his heart, he was 
an enemy to Christ and his cause; and there was 
enough of enmity in his bosom to render regeneration 
absolutely needful, as well as to account fot his zeal 
in the work of persecution. Learned. as he was, his 
very learning made him look down with contempt 
and scorn on the illiterate fishermen, who had ap- 
peared in opposition to the doctrine of the Scribes 


and Pharisees ;—religious as he was, his very religion _ 


prompted him to oppose a system of doctrine at vari- 
ance with all his preconceived opinions; moral as he 
was, his very morality fostered a spirit of self-righteous 
confidence, which rendered the humbling doctrine of 
the Cross utterly offensive to him ;— and patriotic as 
he was—so patriotic, that his heart seems to swell 
when he speaks of “ the Israelites, to whom pertained 
the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and 
the giving of the law, and the service of God, and 
the promises,’—his personal convictions, his national 


pride, and his party spirit—all combined to exaspe- . 


rate his hatred, and excite his contempt, for those who” 
represented Jesus of N azareth as the Messiah that 
‘had been promised to the fathers—the Messiah whom 
he, like most of his countrymen, probably expected as 
a temporal prince, to deliver them from the Roman 

yoke, and establish a powerful monarchy in Judea; 


he hence, when Jesus appeared, claiming this i. 


character, he might conceive that he was justly co 


demned, and that his followers might also be put 1 tol 


death, as deceivers of the people. In those. very mi 
t. <5 ees 


" a 


4 ; 


290 | ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 
te 

tures of his character, then, which, at first sight, seem 
the most amiable, and the least likely to lead to such 
a result, we find the very strength and source of. his 
opposition to the Gospel,—just as, in modern times, 
none are more bitter and inveterate against the doc- 
trines of free grace and a life of spiritual religion, 
than those moral, decent, and self-righteous men, who 
have a form, while they deny the power of godliness. 

But I apprehend that Saul’s violent opposition to 
the truth is to be ascribed in no small measure to cer- 
tain convictions which had been awakened in his con- 
science by what he had seen and heard of the Gospel 
and the conduct of its professors,—convictions which 


\ were not effectual to subdue, but were abundantly 


sufficient to stir up and exasperate his enmity. It 
does not appear that he had been present at the cruci- 
fixion of Christ; but he was present as an interested 
and active spectator at the death of Stephen, the first 
martyr for the truth,—he had heard his sublime dis- 
course, and looked on his countenance when “ his face 
seemed as it had been the face of an angel,’—and wit- 


‘nessed his triumphant death, when he fell asleep, say- 


ing, “ Lord Jesus, reeeive my spirit,”—and, * Lord, lay 


7) 


not this sin to their charge ;” and on a mind like Paul's 


_ such a scene must have made some impression: if it 
- did not disarm and subdue, it would excite and exas- 


perate. It might, and probably it did, awaken some 
inward misgiving—some secret suspicion that possibly 
there might be truth in that Gospel which Stephen 
sealed with his blood; and some feeling of uneasiness, 
amounting even to pain; for such is often the effect 


i r A 
As 
“yf, 


PAUL UR =a 
os 


of conviction awakened in the i Tae 
ing men, as is remarkably evinced when it is said of 
those who surrounded Stephen on that memorable 
occasion, “When they heard these things, they were 
cut to the heart, and gnashed on him with their teeth ;” 
and again, of those who listened to the faithful tes- 
timony of Peter and the other apostles, “‘ When they 
heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took coun- 


sel to slay them.” ‘The arrow of conviction, where it y 


fails to bring the sinner bleeding to Christ, saying, 
«¢ What must I do to be saved?” seldom fails to exas- 
perate his natural enmity, so as to rouse his violent 
opposition to Christ and his cause; imsomuch that, 
when at any time we see a man breathing out vio- 
lence and threatenings against the ministers or people 
of God, we are ready to think that at one time that 
sinner must have had an arrow sticking fast in his 
conscience, and that he is uneasy, and restless, and 
wretched within, in consequence of its rankling and 
festering sore. And that Paul had experienced some 
such convictions, appears, I think, from the language 


of our Lord, when he said to him, “ It is hard for thee ~ 


to kick against the pricks,”’—it is as if he had been 
pricked in his heart, and as if he was goaded on to 


violence and bloodshed by convictions which he was — 
determined to kick against and resist, in so far as — 


they tended to subdue his haughty spirit to the faith 
and obedience of the Gospel,—just as king. Saul’s per- 
secution of David was stimulated by the secret con- 
sciousness of his own guilt, and a lurking suspicion 
that David was the Lord’s anointed. 


lS 
7 ” M, 5 
ee 33? 


992 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


II. If we now consider the circumstances which 
accompanied, and the means which effected his con- 
version, we shall find that, while it was brought 
about in a miraculous way, it was the result of the 
truth which was made known to him by the vision 
and the voice of the Saviour, and which was carried 
home to his heart by demonstration of the Spirit and 
by power from on high. Ii is said, that “ As he jour- 
neyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there 
shined round about him alight from heaven: and he 
fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, 
Saul, Saul, why persecutest: thou me?” The mira- 
culous accompaniments of his conversion, were the 
shining light—a “ light above the brightness of the 
sun”—the supernatural voice, and the sudden inflic- 


tion of blindness, which was afterwards miraculously 


cured, when there ‘ fell from his eyes as it had been 
scales;” but while these and similar circumstances 
were useful as subordinate means,.in the way of 


arresting his attention, and impressing his conscience, 


and affording evidence for the truth,—it was the truth 
itself—the simple truth as it is in Jesus, which effect- 
ed the conversion of Paul; and herein it resembles the 
case of every other sinner. 

That truth was presented to him in three distinct 
mays :—1. It was embodied, as it were, and exhibited 


~ in the vision of Christ. And that you may under- 


stand the suitableness of this manifestation, and what 
a flood of light it was fitted to pour into his mind, I 
request you to remember, that as Saul did not at that 
time believe in Jesus, he must have regarded him as 


PAUL. 293 


an impostor, who had been justly condemned and put 
to death; and that his unbelief, which had probably 
been founded on the extreme humiliation of Christ, 
when he appeared as a“ man of sorrows and acquaint- 
ed with grief,” was doubtless confirmed by his death 
and burial, when his enemies seemed to have triumphed 


over him. And what, then, could be better fitted to 


undeceive him—to convince him of his former-error, 
and to unfold to him the glorious truth—than the 
personal appearance of the same Man of Sorrows, after 
he had been crucified, in the brightness of his resur- 
rection glory, and in the dignity of his exaltation ? 
The mere appearance of the Saviour in sucha form 
contained in it the whole Gospel; it proved as well 
as exhibited the truth; it showed that he had risen 
from the dead—that he had ascended up on high— 
that he had been exalted by the right hand of God, 
and if exalted, then he was what he professed to be 
—the Son of God, the Christ, the Messiah that had 
been promised to the fathers; nay, that he had 
finished the work which the Father had given him to 
do—that his work had been accepted, and his reward 
earned, —insomuch, that now “ all power was given to 
him in heaven and on earth;” and from the cross he 
had passed to the throne! All this must have flashed 
at once on the mind of Saul, as soon as he was made 
acquainted with the person who spake to him from 
amidst that shining light ! 

2. While the truth was embodied and exhibited in 


the vision of Christ, it was farther explained by his ° 


voice. We find no formal discourse, no full expo- 


Sa 


994 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


sition, no systematic statement of the truth, but a 
few intimations, which, when combined with what he 
then witnessed, and what he afterwards learned, were 
enough to produce in his mind the iuith which is unto 
salvation. When he said, “ Who art thou, Lord ?”’ 
the Lord. said, “« Iam Jesus whom thou persecutest : 
‘it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And 
he, trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what wilt 
thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, 
Arise, go into the city, and it shall be told thee what 
thou must do.” When the voice asked him, “ Saul, 
Saul, why persecutest thou me?” he must have had 
some indistinct impression that it was Jesus who 
spoke to him, for he knew in his conscience that he 
was persecuting his disciples, and the miraculous vision 
convinced him that he was in the Divine presence, 
for he called him Lorp; but when, in answer to his 
question, ““ Who art thou?” he received that express 
declaration, “I am Jesus” or as it is in the 22d chapter, 
“ T am Jesus of Nazareth,’—oh! what deep convic- 
tions and emotions must, at that instant, have rushed 
into his soul! If Jesus was indeed alive; if he had 
really risen from the dead; if he had ascended into 
heaven ; and if he now stood in his immediate pre- 
sence,—then Saul must have felt, with all the quick- 
ness and certainty of intuition, that, in opposing the 
. Gospel, he was fighting against God; and no wonder 
that he lay on the earth “ trembling and astonished,” 
when he knew that the same Jesus who was crucified 
in weakness had been raised in power, and had now 
come down —might it not be to judge and destroy ? 


PAUL. | 295 


There was, indeed, no word of threatening, but a point- 
ed question, a touching expostulation, — demanding 
the reason of his present conduct, in such a way, as 
must have awakened his conscience to reprove him 
of sin. That he felt the reproof, and was alarmed 
on account of his guilt and danger, appears from 
his “‘trembling;”. but fear is not faith ; remorse is not. 
repentance; nor is there sufficient power in. mere 
terror to effect the conversion of the heart. The heart 
is turned by the attraction of the Saviour’s love; and 
if, on the one hand, the words of Christ served to 
impress his mind with a very awful sense of his guilt, 
seeing that they represented his persecution of the 
Church as equivalent to the persecution of Christ 
himself ; they were also fitted, on the other hand, to 
convey to his mind a very vivid idea of the tender- 
ness of his compassion, and the riches of his grace. 
For when the Saviour said, “I am Jesus whom thou 
persecutest,” what a discovery was made of his love 
to his own people! Saul was not consciously perse- 
euting Christ, he was only pursuing his poor foilow- 
ers; he was in quest of certain men and women at 
Damascus, that he might bring them bound to Jeru- 
salem; but when Jesus met him by the way, he did 
not say to him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou them, 
but—Why persecutest thou ms,—intimating there- 
by that he identifies himself with his people,—that 
in all their affliction he is afflicted, that they: were 
‘‘members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones,” 
—that if any one member suffered, the Head sym- 
pathized and suffered too, aceording to his own 


296 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


language in another place: “ Inasmuch as ye did it 
unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye did it 
unto me!” But full as it was of love for his people, 
this language might have only terrified the trembling 
persecutor, and driven him to the verge of despair, had 
there been no manifestation of tenderness and com- 
passion to himself: he might have thought, if, in pur- 
suing these men and women, I have been persecuting 
Christ, the Lord of Glory, there is no hope for me; 
but immediately Jesus drops a word of kindness, which 
was as a cordial to his sinking spirit; his very expos- 


‘ tulation breathes a spirit of tenderness, and shows that 


the persecutor had a place in the Saviour’s heart,—for 
mark the gracious words, ‘‘ It is hard for thee to kick 


b 


against the pricks :” it is hard, not for me, whom thou 
persecutest,—not for my poor followers, the men and 
women whom thou art haling to prison; but, “ it 7s 
hard for truer.” Oh! then, the Saviour had a sym- 
pathy even for this sinner; the Prince of Peace was 
concerned for this persecutor, and spake of the hard- 
ship—the injury he was doing to himself; and how 
must this tenderness have touched his heart, at a 
time when he was self-convicted, and self-condemned, 
especially if, by “‘ kicking against the pricks,” he un- 
derstood the Lord: to mean his resisting the eonvic- 
tions of his own conscience, and setting himself in 
opposition to the truths which he had now been taught. 
By such means he was at once convinced of his sin 
and danger, and satisfied of the truth of the Gospel, 
and instructed in the relation which Christ bears to 
his people, and the compassion which he felt for him- 


PAUL, 297 


self; and to these means he refers afterwards as having 
been instrumental in God’s hand in bringing him to. a 
knowledge of the truth: “I certify ‘you, brethren, 


that the Gospel which was preached of me is not after , 


man. For J neither received it of man, neither was 
I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 

3. While Saul was first brought to the knowledge 
and belief of the truth, by the vision and voice of the 
Saviour himself, God was pleased, even in this re- 
markable case, to put honour on his own ordinance, 
by employing the ministry of Ananias to instruct and 
confirm him in the faith: (ver. 6)—‘“ The Lord said 
unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be 
told thee what thou must do.” (Ver. 10)—** And there 
was a certain disciple, named Ananias, and to him 
said the Lord in a vision, Ananias! And he said, 
Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto 
him, Arise,,.and go into the street which is called 
Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one 
called Saul of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, and 
hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming 
in, and putting his hand on him, that he might re- 
ceive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I 
have heard by many of this man, how much evil he 
hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: and here he 
hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that 
call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go 
thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear 
my name before the Gentiles, and kings; and the ch:l- 
dren of Israel: for I will show him how great things 
he must suffer for my name’s sake. And Anamas 

U 


% 


298 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


went his way, and entered into the house ; and putting 
his hands on him, said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even 
Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou 
camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy 
sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And im- 
mediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: 
and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was 
baptized.” 

The words of Ananias, and his very mission to him 
at such a time, must have enlarged his views, and 
strengthened his belief of the truth: for he had been 
taught to expect such a visit, from one who should tell 
him what he ought to do; and when he came, and 
spoke to him of Jesus who'had appeared to him by 
the way, and wrought a miraculous cure of his blind- 
ness, and imparted to him the gift of the Holy Ghost, 
and accosted him as a brother, and exhorted him to 
*¢ arise, and be baptized, and wash away his sins, 
calling on the name of the Lord,’—he could not fail to 
regard these events.as at once a signal proof of divine 
interposition, and a manifest fulfilment of Christ's pro- 
mise; and—what was much better fitted at once to 
subdue and comfort him—as so many precious tokens 
of the Saviour’s care and kindness for himself indi- 
vidually, such as might well awaken the liveliest 
gratitude, and afford a ground of confidence and hope. 
‘For mark the minute knowledge, the personal kind- 
ness, the pastoral care of the Lord Jesus Christ,—he 
keeps his eye on this spirit-stricken penitent as he 
enters into the crowded city ; he marks the street, he 
singles out the very house in which he takes up his 


PAUL. 299 


abode, and comes to another disciple, whom he also 
names, and says, Go, for behold he prayeth ! 

By these means,—by the vision of Christ, by the 
words he spake, and by the ministry of Ananias,—the 


truth was presented, along with its appropriate evi- 7 


dence, to the mind of Saul; but it 1s of importance to 
observe, especially with a view to account for his being 
immediately employed in the work of preaching the 
Gospel, that as soon as he was convinced of Jesus 
being the Messiah, afl his Old Testament knowledge 
became at once available,—he had now obtained pos- 
session of the key which unlocks that storehouse of 
typical and prophetic instruction; and his previous 
familiarity with the writings of Moses and the pro- 
plets must have qualified him, in no ordinary degree, 
for understanding, and expounding, and vindicating 
the Gospel, as soon as he was brought to believe that 
“ the testimony of Jesus is the spirit-of prophecy.” 
But neither the vision nor the voice of Christ,— 


neither the ministry of Ananias, nor Saul’s familiar , 


acquaintance with the writings of Moses and the pro- 
phets, would have availed for effecting his conversion, 
without the grace of the Holy Spirit. We read that 


he received the Holy Ghost ; and if this is to be un- 4 


derstood of his supernatural gifts, it is equally certain 
he must have received his spiritual grace; for he him- 


self testifies, —‘* By the grace of God Iam what Lam.” © 


“ It pleased God to reveal his Son in me.” “ God, who 
commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath 
shined into our hearts, giving us the light of the know- 
ledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 


7 


# 


2& 


300 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


III. If we now inquire into the nature of this great 
change, or wherein 1 properly consisted, and the 
practical results in which it terminated, we shall find 
that his whole conversion hinged on one point,—it de- 
“pended on his believing that “ Jesus was the Christ.” 
A single thought is often the key to a great discovery, 
and so a single event may be the occasion of a total 
revolution in the whole opinions, and feelings, and 
habits of aman. ‘Thusit was with Paul. The single 
thought that now took possession of his mind, and 
threw aclear and steady light on the whole scheme 
_ of revealed truth, was, that Jesus was the Christ of 
God; and the single event that carried home to his 
heart a conviction which revolutionised his whole 
creed, and character, and conduct, was the personal 
appearance of Jesus, once crucified, but now exalted, 
as he journeyed towards Damascus. He saw Jesus— 
Jesus was then alive; he saw Jesus shining in light 
above the brightness of the sun: Jesus was then 
glorified, and if glorified, bis work was accepted, his 
Gospel true, his authority divine, his power almighty, 
and that one thought was enough to convert the 
Pharisee into a penitent, the persecutor into a preacher, 
the Jewish bigot into a Christian philanthropist. The 
change was sudden, indeed, but it was also complete ; 
for Christ was above, and the Spirit within him. From 
that hour he became a “ new creature; old things 
passed away ; all things became new.” 

Oh! it is deeply instructive to mark the contrast, 
in every point of view in which it can be contemplated, 
betwixt his former and his future character. His 


LT iw ay % 


PAUL. 301 


life was now turned, as it were, into.a new channel. 
And if his change was sudden, it was also permanent. 
He had now new views—new views of himself: «I 
was alive without the Jaw once: but when the com- 
mandment came, sin revived and [ died.” Once he was 
a Pharisee, believing himself to be righteous, and de- 
spising others,— now he is a penitent, confessing 
himself to be the * chief of sinners,” and “ less than the 
least of all saints ;’—once he was built up in the fond 
conceit of his own worth,—now he accounts it but as 
filthy rags: “ Though I might also have confidence 
in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath 
whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: cireum- 
cised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe 
of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching 
the law, a Pharisee.” “ But what things were gain 
to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, 
and I count all things but loss for the excellency of 
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom 
I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count 
them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found 
in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is 
of the law, but that which is through the faith of 
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” 


He had new views of God ; he now saw “the light of © 


the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus 


Christ ;’—new views of the law; he saw it now inits * 


true character, as a ministration of death, a covenant 
gendering to bondage, a schoolmaster to bring him to 


Christ ;—he had new views of the Gospel, as God’s ’ 


truth,—of Jesus, as God’s Christ,—of his Church, as 


Y oe 
Se - - Fe 


302 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


God’s people,—of the Jews, and their fearful guilt,— 
of the Gentiles, and their predicted privileges ; and his 
views being thus changed, his affections and aims, his 
pursuits and pleasures, his habits and his hopes were 
all alike new,—insomuch, that the bigoted Jew be- 
came the universal philanthropist, exclaiming, “Is he 
the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the 
Gentiles?” and.the fierce persecutor became the fer- 
vent preacher, exclaiming, “The weapons of our war- 
fare are not carnal, but spiritual, and mighty through 
God to the pulling down of strongholds ;” and he who 
breathed out “threatenings and slaughter, and was 
exceedingly mad, against the people of God,” devoted 
his life to their service, taking upon him “ the care of 
all the churches,” “making himself all things to all 
men if possibly he might gain some ;” and nothing 
moved by peril and persecution, nor “ counting his life 
dear unto himself, that he might finish his course 
with joy, and fulfil the ministry which he had received 
of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace 
of God.” 

Need I dwell on the moral and spiritual fruits of 
his conversion? Read his matchless epistles, study 
the simple but sublime narrative of his life, and see 
how brightly and how steadily the fire of divine love, 
which was first kindled in his breast on his way to- 
Damascus, burned there, and how it continued to 
brighten, and to burn more strongly in the face of all 
obloquy, and opposition, and danger, till his warfare 
was ended, and his soul was joined to the kindred 
society of seraphic spirits in the sanctuary above. 


ae PAUL. 303 


And let those especially who declaim against conver- 
sion as a fanatical or enthusiastic dream, and suspect 
it the more if it be suddenly wrought, behold in the 
life of Paul, the reality and the practical fruits of 
this great change; for the new life which he led 
flowed from his new birth on the way to Damascus ; 
this was the fountain,—that was the pure and fertiliz- 
ing stream. His conduct, indeed, had been decent 
and regular, and in many respects exemplary before ; 
but still his life was changed as well as his heart ; yr 
was regulated by new principles, and conversant with 
other objects, and devoted to higher and better ends,— 
insomuch, that now he could say, “ The life which I 
live in the flesh, I live by the faith of Christ, who loved 
me, and gave himself for me.” 

Many practical lessons might be deduced from this 
case,—as that, 

1. A man may be learned, decent, and exemplary 
- in many things, and yet be destitute of spiritual life, 
so as to require, not less than the irreligious and im- 
moral, to be converted and renewed. 2. A form of | 
godliness, where its power is absent, 1s a grievous " 
snare to the soul. 3. A zeal for God may exist which 
is not according to knowledge, and a man may be sin- 
cere in following a course which is leading him down 
to the chambers of death. 4. Ignorance of the Gos- 
pel, combined with the form of religion, and a decent : 
moral life, is often observed to issue in inveterate 
opposition to Christ and his cause, especially where 
the conscience is weary and restless, by reason of 
its unappeased convictions, 5. The one truth, that 


304 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


“ Jesus is the Christ,” is sufficient, when it is really 
believed, at once to lay a solid ground of hope for the 
sinner, and to change him into a new man. 6. Faith 
worketh by love, so as to constrain the believer no 
longer to live unto himself, but unto Him that died 
for him, and that rose again; and prompts him to 
make known to others the truth which has brought 
peace and comfort to hisown soul. 7. The conversion 
of Paul is a striking evidence, and the life of Paul is 
a striking illustration, of the power of truth.* 


*H. More. Lord Lyttleton. 


— 


. : ; 
a al ro. | , 


THE ETHIOPIAN TREASURER. 305 


CHAPTER IV. 


t 


THE ETHIOPIAN TREASURER. 
Acts viii. 26-40. 


_ascase of the Ethiopian Treasurer affords a beau- 
tiful example of the way in which an ignorant, but 
sincere and deyout inquirer, is often led, under the | 
guidance of the Spirit of-God, and notwithstanding 
many unfavourable circumstances in his condition, to 
a clear and saving knowledge of the truth as it is in 
Jesus. It belongs to a different class of cases from 
that to which the Philippian Gaoler, the Dying Male- 
factor, and Saul the Persecutor, are to be referred ; 
since these memorable characters, while they differed 
from each other in many respects, agreed in this, that 
each of the three was chargeable with some specific 
crime of a very aggravated nature,—the Gaoler with 
intentional suicide, the Malefactor with robbery, ‘and 
Saul with persecution and bloodshed,—while nothing 
is recorded of the Ethiopian that is criminal, and much 
that is creditable to his character—his main defect . 
being his ignorance of divine truth, and even that he 
was devoutly seeking to remove. His experience, 
therefore, is fitted to illustrate the case of such as have 


306 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


long been seeking the truth, but are still “ walking in 
darkness and having no light;” and it cannot fail, 
when rightly understood, and duly considered, to im- 
part to them a very large measure both of instruction 
and encouragement. , 

I. In his previous state there were many unfayour- 
able circumstances which might seem to render his 
conversion a very difficult undertaking, while there 
were, at the same time, some very hopeful symptoms. 

Among the unfavourable circumstances which might 
seem to present an obstacle to his conversion, and which 
probably retarded his progress in acquiring a know- 
ledge of the truth, I may mention his birth and resi- 
dence in Ethiopia—a land of heathen darkness—at a 
great distance, probably not less than one thousand 
miles from Jerusalem, the seat of the true religion ;— 
his worldly wealth, which is often a snare to the soul, 


rf for “ how hardly, says our Lord himself, shall a rich 


man enter into the kingdom of God;” and again, “ I 
say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the 
eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the 
kingdom of God ;” for not only the cares of the world, 
but the deceitfulness of riches also,and other lusts, choke 


. the Word and render it unfruitful ;—and his elevated 


rank and exlensive influence, as “‘ an eunuch of great 
authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians:” 
he belonged to a class of men who exercised almost 
unlimited power in some of the Eastern nations, and 


_ Who were notoriously addicted to intrigue and the 


other arts of courtly ambition; and this might be a 
bar in the way of his spiritual progress,—for “ ye see 


+ 


% 


THE £LHLOPIAN TREASURER. 307 


your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men 
after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble 
are called; but God has chosen the foolish things of 
the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen 
the weak things of the world to confound the things 


which are mighty, and base things of the world, and . 


things which are despised, hath God chosen ; yea, 
and things which are not, to bring to nought things 
that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence.” 

It is manifest that these, or some other circumstances 
of a ike nature in his condition, had exerted an inju- 
rious influence over him, and had retarded his progress 


in the acquisition of religious knowledge ; for he was, _ 


as we shall immediately see, lamentably ignorant, not- 
withstanding all the efforts he had made; and, looking 
on him, as he returned in his chariot to his native 
land, we might be ready, in a spirit of hopelessness, 


to exclaim, “ Can this Ethiopian change his skin 2?” 


4s 


Ds 
But while many circumstances in his outward con- - 


dition were unfavourable, we cannot read the narra- 
tive without discovering some hopeful symptoms in 
the state of his mind. For, while he was by birth 
and residence an Ethiopian Gentile, he was, notwith- 


standing, both in his creed and in his profession, a - 


proselyte to the Jewish faith, and a believer in the 
one only, the living and the true God. Although 
surrounded by the forms of polytheistic superstition, 
and living in a land of gross spiritual darkness, he 
had in some way, not described, become acquainted 
with the revelation of divine truth in the Old Tes- 
tament Scriptures, and his eye had been opened to 


“ee 


st 


“~ 2 
; 
) 


+ st 


308 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


discern the true Hight, so far as to satisfy him that it 
was the light of heaven. Thus much is implied i 

the fact that “he had come to Jerusalem to worship, 

and that on his return he was engaged in reading the 
Old Testament Scriptures. And this instance affords 
an exemplification and proof of a very delightful 
truth,—I mean the extensive influence which was 
exerted by the Jewish dispensation on the surrounding 
nations.* ‘While it was in some respects limited and 
local, as being specially designed for the children of 
Israel, and established in the land of Judea, it was 
nevertheless fitted to instruct other nations in the 
grand principles of religious truth, and all the great 
nations of antiquity were successively brought into 
such near contact and such familiar intercourse with 


~ the Jews as could not fail to impart to many a thinking 


mind amongst them the knowledge of the one living 
and true God. In the earlier part of their history, 
the Jews were connected with the Egyptians, who 
were the wisest, the Canaanites, who were the most 
warlike, and the Phoenicians, the most commercial 
of these nations: and at a later period, partly by their 
long captivity, partly by their dispersion and their 
residence in almost every city, they were intermingled 
with the Assyrians, the Persians, the Greeks, and 
the Romans,—insomuch, that not only was the Old 
Testament translated into Greek for the use of the 
Hellenic Jews, but heathenism itself derived from it 
many useful hints as well as the materials of many a 
fable, as is clear in the case of Zoroaster and others. 


* Dr Graves on Pentateuch, p, 336-351. 


% 


THE ETHIOPIAN TREASURER. 309 


And as the Old Testament dispensation was fitted to 
exert such an influence over the surrounding nations, 
80 provision was made for the admission of proselyles 
to some, at least, of the privileges and services of the 
Jewish Church. These proselytes have been divided 
into two classes, called respectively the proselytes of 
righteousness and the proselytes of the gate; and 
these were in the habit .of coming up to Jerusalem 
at the stated festivals as well as the Jews that were 
scattered abroad,—of whom it is said, that on the day 
of Pentecost, which occurred after the crucifixion of 
the Saviour, there were then assembled, « Parthians, 
and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Meso- 
potamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, 
and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and in 


the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of © 


Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes, and Arabians,” 
speaking different languages, but worshipping the same 
God. The Ethiopian Treasurer was one of these; 


and his coming out of Ethiopia, and repairing to _ 


Jerusalem, was a virtual declaration that his mind 
could not rest in the popular mythology of his own 
country,—that he saw the error of polytheism, and 
admitted the cardinal principle of the divine unity,— 
and was in itself a solemn and public testimony to the 
supremacy of the God of Israel. 

While he was, both by conviction and profession, 
a believer in the one only, the living and the true 
God, and a proselyte to the Jewish faith, he was also 
a devout worshipper, and an attendant on the services 
of the Jewish Church. It is said of him, that “he 


310 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


had come to Jerusalem to worship,”—not to inquire 
merely, still less to speculate or dispute, but to engage 
inthe solemn exercises of public religious worship, at 
one of the greatest festivals of the Jewish Church. It 
is important to mark this, for it shows that he was 
already imbued with a spirit of prayer, a hopeful 
symptom in any case, and one of the first in all,—for 
of Paul, Jesus said to Ananias, “ Behold, he prayeth,” 
—and. of Lydia, that “she attended the apostle’s mi- 
nistry by the water side, where prayer was wont to be 
made,”—and of Cornelius, that “as he prayed at the 
ninth hour, the angel of the Lord appeared to him.” 
True prayer is never lost,—the cry of an earnest spirit 
comes in unto God in his holy temple,—and in due 
time will bring down an answer in peace. But ‘‘ who- 
so cometh unto God must believe that he is, and that 
he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him ;” 
and what encouragement, then, had this Ethiopian to 
pray, or what was the ground and warrant of his faith ? 
Fe was not by birth a Jew,—he was “an alien from 
the commonwealth of Israel, and a stranger to the 
covenants of promise, ’—he had no natural or civil con- 
nection with those “ to whom,” and as they themselves 
supposed, to them alone “ pertained the adoption, and 
the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the 
law, and the service of God, and the promises.” He 
was a foreigner, an African, a negro, a Gentile, an 
eunuch,—and how, then, could he hope to associate 
himself with the people of God, and dare to approach 
his temple? Ob, mark how a simple faith, and a 
devout spirit, and an earnest mind, will surmount a 


THE ETHIOPIAN TREASURER. 311 


thousand difficulties, and. bring a sinner into the way 
of peace. He had a warrant for his faith and hope,— 
a warrant in the Old Testament Scriptures, which was 
enough to embolden him to draw nigh. For, besides 
the prayer which was uttered at the dedication of 
Solomon’s Temple, in the very book of the Prophet. 
Isaiah (lvi. 3), which he read in his chariot, he found 
this precious word of promise,—‘ Neither let the son 
of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord, 
speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me 
from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, 
I ama dry tree. For thus saith the Lord unto the 
eunuchs that keep my Sabbaths, and choose the things 
that please me, and take hold of my covenant; even 
unto them will I give in mine house and within my 
walls a place and a name better than of sons and of 
daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, 
that shall not be cut off. Also the sons.of the stran- 
ger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, 
and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, 
every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting 
it, and taketh hold of my covenant; even them will 
I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joy- 
ful in my house of prayer: their burnt-offerings and 
their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar ; 
for mine house shall be called an house of prayer 
for all people.” This man was both an eunuch and 
a stranger; and being such, he knew that tais pro- 
mise comprehended him; and, in the faith of it he 
came to Jerusalem, and worshipped the God_of Israel 
there. 


312 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


Besides a spirit of prayer, he had also a spirit of 
diligent Inquiry; combined with that humility and 
teachableness which may be justly regarded as the 
most hopeful symptoms of a great and blessed change. 
That he had an inquiring and docile mind, appears not 
only from his going up from Ethiopia to Jerusalem, 
a distance of about a thousand miles, passing from 
Africa to Asia, and leaving for a time the cares of 
‘his honourable and responsible office, that he might 
be present at the Feast of Pentecost,—but still more 
strikingly from the manner in which he was occupied 
on his return from Jerusalem: instead of casting aside 
his religion when the festival was over, or allowing 
his mind to be diverted to other objects, ‘‘ he sat in 
his chariot reading the prophet Isaiah.” Probably 
he read aloud, for the benefit of his attendants; at all 
events he had his Bible in his hand, and was engaged 
in reading its sacred contents; so that he had himself 
procured a copy of the Scriptures for his own use,— 
a roll which: must have been written by himself, or 
obtained at great expense, — and which he carried 
with him as his companion by the way. But even 
this is not so remarkable, as the humility and teach- 
ableness with which he received Philip, a stranger, 
and one who, perbaps, was neither in point-of dress 
nor manners likely to attract the regard of a man of 
rank-and station. Yet, when. he joined himself to 
the chariot, and ventured to ask the question, ‘¢ un- 
derstandest thou what thou readest ?” instead of spurn-— 
ing the question, he replied with child-like humility, 
“« How can I, except some man should guide me,"— 


ee 


THE ETHIOPIAN TREASURER. 313 


and he requested Philip that “ he would come up and 
sit with him.” 

While there were several hopeful symptoms in this 
state of mind, it is manifest that he was stiil extremely 
ignorant of the truth. He was not only destitute of 
all knowledge of Christ and the Gospel, but he had 
no correct apprehension of the spiritual meaning of 
the Old Testament in which he professed to believe, 
and which, in the midst of much remaining darkness, 
he still continued to read. For when, after reading a 
part of the 53d chapter of Isaiah, he put the question, 
“TI pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this ¢ 
of himself, or of some other man ?’—his language, if 
it indicate a spirit of sincere inquiry, betrays also a 
lamentable degree of ignorance, and makes it manifest 
that he was still in a condition like that of the Jews 
themselves, of whom it is said by the apostle, “ Their 
minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the 
same vail untaken away in the reading of the Old 
Testament ; which vail is done away in Christ.. But 
even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is 
upon their heart.” His language seems to indicate 
that he had no acquaintance with the spiritual import 
of the Old Testament, and that, if he was attached to 


the Jewish faith, he adhered to it chiefly as a sublime © 


system of religion which taught his duty to the one 
living and true God, but without any intelligent ap- 
prehension of its connection with the scheme of grace 
and redemption, or. the work of Messiah who had been 
promised to the fathers. 


II. If we now consider the manner in which he was 
x 


314 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


brought to a saving knowledge of the truth, we shall 
find an interesting and encouraging exemplification of 
the care with which God provides for the instruction 
of a sincere inquirer, although he may be placed in 
circumstances apparently the most unpromising. The 
Ethiopian had just been at Jerusalem,—where the 

mighty moral movement had already begun which was — 
destined to revolutionize the world. He had been 
at Jerusalem, where Immanuel, God manifest in the 
flesh, had preached, and suffered, and died, and risen 
again from the dead. And he had been at Jerusalem 
at the Feast of Pentecost, when the promise of the 
Father was fulfilled by the descent of the Holy Spirit 
in the miraculous gift of tongues, and three thousand 
souls were converted in a single day. It cannot be sup- 
posed that a stranger of rank and influence, possessing, 
as he no doubt did, many facilities of intercourse with 
the leading men at Jerusalem, could fail to hear, during 
his sojourn in that’ city, the numerous reports about 
Jesus which were then circulating in the country, and 
especially in the capitol, of Judea. It is evident, how- 
ever, from the narrative before us, that he had left 
Jerusalem without acquiring a knowledge of the truth 
as it is in Jesus. He had been in the holy city where 
Christ himself had ministered, and where his apostles 
were now proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom, and 
had left it, perhaps for ever,—and now he was on his 
way back again to that land of spiritual darkness, 
where he could have no reasonable prospect of enjoying 
such opportunities of grace as Jerusalem afforded. But 


God himself had given him a spirit of inquiry and a 


THE ETHIOPIAN TREASURER. 315 


spirit of prayer ; and although his journey to Jerusalem 
had not led him to find what he was seeking, God, 
whose ways are not as man’s ways, sent it to-him in 
the midst of a desert, when his back was turned on 
Jerusalem, and he was returning toa land of darkness, 
God met him in the desert of Gaza, and he was con- 
verted there! And there is much in the narrative 
that is fitted to impress our minds with a sense of 


the lively interest and the tender solicitude with which. - 


God regards and provides for the instruction of a 


single soul. First of all, there is the ministry of an _ 


angel,—‘* The angel of the Lord spake unto Philip,’”»— 
“For there is joy in the presence of the angels of God 
over one sinner that repenteth ;” “And are they not all 
ministering spirits sent forth to minister to them that 
are the heirs of salvation.” . 2d, There is the ministry 
of an evangelist—specially commissioned to attend to 
this individual; and it is very remarkable, as evincing 
God’s watchful solicitude for a single soul, that Philip 
was commanded to leave his work at Jerusalem and in 
the villages of Samaria, and to go unto the desert, ata 
time when multitudes were attending his ministry, and 
when his labours there appeared to be remarkably 
blessed, for it is said—‘ Then Philip went down to 
the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 
And the people with one accord gave heed unto those 
things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the 
miracles which he did; and there was great joy in 
that city.” And afterwards “They returned to Jeru- 
salem, and preached the Gospel in many cities of the 
Samaritans.” Yet, for the sake of one humble in- 


&. 


316 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


quirer, who had come to J erusalem to worship, and 
was returning through the desert to a land of dark- 
ness—but' reading his Bible by the way, an angel 
was sent from heaven; and Philip was taken away 
from the crowd who listened to him at Jerusalem and 
Samaria, that he might minister the Word of life to 
one benighted soul! And, lastly, the Spirit of God 

was there—in that dreary desert—watching over this 


| prayerful man,—even that blessed Spirit who “ lead- 


eth the blind by a way that they know not, and mak- 
eth darkness light before them, and crooked things 
straight.” ‘The Spirit directed Philip—“ Go near, 
and join thyself to this chariot.” The Spirit enabled 
him to. speak a word in season,—and the Spint gave 
the hearing ear and the understanding heart; and 
then, when the work was done, he withdrew the 
human agent to follow his Master’s service in another 
place. Such was the agency employed for the in- 
struction of the Eth‘opian eunuch. And can we 


consider it in connection with the circumstances which 
have been described, without regarding it as a very 


affecting proof of the solicitude with which God cares 
for every inquiring soul, and a most encouraging ful- 
filment of God’s promise,—“ Then shall ye a if 


~ ye follow on to know the Lord.” . 
But while the ministry, both of an angel and an 


evangelist, and the agency of the Holy Spirit, are 
expressly declared to have been employed on this 
occasion, you will observe, that the means by which 
his conversion was effected, was simply the truth as it 
is in Jesus. And herein it resembles the conversion 


enn TT RENE NM 


THE ETHIOPIAN TREASURER. 317 


of every other sinner. Having mentioned that the 
place of the Scriptures which he read was the 53d 
chapter of Isaiah, the narrative adds (ver. 35), ‘ Then 
Philip opened his mouth and began at the same Scrip- 
ture, and preached unto him Jesus.” It were easy to 
show, by an analysis of that chapter, that it afforded 
ample materials for a full exposition of the Gospel ; 
for it is an eminent prediction of Christ—a prediction 
so full, indeed, and yet so minute and circumstantial, 
that the enemies of our faith have declared that it 
must be regarded as a history rather ‘than as a pro- 
phecy. It predicts almost every fact, and sets forth 
every doctrine connected with the person, the offices, 
and the work of Christ, as—the unbelief of the Jews, 
ver. 1; the reason of that unbelief, ver..2; the suffer- 
ings and rejection of Christ, ver. 3; the cause of his 
sufferings, ver. 4, 5,6; the patience of the Sufferer, 
ver. 7; the condemnation and death of Christ, ver. 8; 
his burial, ver. 9; his resurrection, ver. 10; his re- 
ward, ver. 11; and the reason of his reward in con- 
nection with the end of his death, ver. 12. All this 
was predicted by the prophet; and the apostle could 
tell how minutely it was fulfilled in the person and 
history of Jesus. 

Ill. In regard to the iathice of the change which 

was then wrought on the Ethiopian, and the practi- 
cal results which flowed from it, I apprehend that it 
properly consisted in his believing that “ Jesus is the 
Christ,’—in so believing this, as that he received and 
embraced him in all the fulness of his offices as the 
Lord’s Anointed. For, on asking to be baptized— 


318 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


a request which plainly implies that he had been in- 
structed in the nature and emblematic meaning of that 
sacred rite, and also felt that he needed to “‘ wash away 
his sins’—Philip said, “‘ If thou believest with all 
thine heart, thou mayest ;” and he answered and said, 
“‘ T believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” This 
confession of faith, short and simple as it is, contains 
the sum and substance of all Gospel truth. 

The immediate effect of his faith was a request that 
he might be baptized; and his baptism is at once a 
manifestation of his faith, and also a proof of his new 
obedience and submission to the authority of Christ. 
He was not ashamed to own, by this visible act, his 
attachment to Christ and the Gospel. 

Being baptized, ‘“ he went on his way rejoicing,”— 
he felt that the Gospel was glad tidings of great joy ; 
from the instant when he believed it, it became the 
joy and the rejoicing of his heart; and, doubtless, 
‘“‘the joy of the Lord was his strength,” fitting him for 
the right discharge of every commanded duty, and the 
patient endurance of every appointed trial,—so that 
he-“ could run in the way of his commandments, 
when God had. enlarged his heart.” 

We learn from this interesting narrative, that God 
~ is no respecter of persons, but that men of every nation, 
and colour, and clime, may become partakers of his 
grace; that a long preparatory work often precedes a 
sinner’s conversion ;— that a conscientious and prayer- 
_ ful spirit is a hopeful symptom ;—that this may exist 
where as yet there is little light ;—that a sinner’s cir- 
cumstances, however unfavourable, are no bar to his 


~_ 


THE ETHIOPIAN TREASURER. $19. 


progress, if only he seek and obtain the direction and 
blessing of God ;—that “ the truth as it is in Jesus” is 
the simple means of conversion ;—that the Gospel is 
glad tidings, and no sooner is it believed than the sin- 
ner may ‘ go on his way rejoicing,’ —for it is capable 
of imparting immediate peace and joy in believing ;— 
that abundance of privileges may fail in working that 
change which may be brought about in more unfa- 
vourable circumstances, for the Ethiopian left Jeru- 
salem unconverted, and was converted in a desert ;— 
that a diligent attention to the means of grace, accom- 
panied with prayer, will sooner or later be crowned 
with a blessing ; and yet,—that an inquiring, prayer- 
ful, and exemplary man, may need to undergo a great 
spiritual change. 


3820 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


CHAPTER V. 


- CORNELIUS. 


Acts x. 


Art the period of our Lord’s advent, there existed 
amongst the Jews the same diversities of opinion and 
character as are found amongst ourselves at the present 
day, and the men to whom he preached were in very 
different states of preparation for the Gospel of the 
kingdom. There were Sadducees then, as there are 
sceptics now, who doubted or disbelieved the truth 
as it had been revealed by Moses and the prophets; 
there were Pharisees then, as there are formalists 
now, who rested in the furm, whilst they denied the 
power’ of godliness; there were Pilates, who asked, 
« What is truth?” and Gallios, who “ eared for none 
of these things ;’—but there were also not a few whose 
hearts the Lord had touched, and who waited, in faith 
and hope, for “the consolation of Israel.” There were 
such men both among the Jews and Gentiles. Among 
the Jews we read of Zacharias, and his wife Eliza- 
beth, ‘* who were both righteous before God, walking 
in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord 


a ees 


CORNELIUS. oul 


blameless ;”——and Mary, the mother of Jesus, whose 
song breathes the spirit of genuine piety, when she 
exclaimed, “ My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my 
spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour ;’——and Simeon, 
of whom it is said, that “‘ the same man was just and 
devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the 
Holy Ghost was upon him ;’—and Anna the pro- 
phetess, “a widow of about four score and four years, 
who departed not from the temple, but served God 
with fastings and prayers night and day, and spake 
of Christ to all them that looked for redemption in 
Jerusalem ;”——and Nathaniel, of whom our Lofd him- 
self said, ‘‘ Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is 
no guile!” And among the Gentiles, we read of the 
Ethiopian who came up to Jerusalem to worship, and 
on his return read in his chariot the Book of Isaiah the 
prophet ;—and of Cornelius, a Roman centurion, anda 
devout soldier who waited upon him,=-‘“‘a devout man, 
and one that feared God with all his house, who gave 
much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.” 
In these cases we have a most precious exemplifica- 
tion of the spiritual life which still existed in the 
bosom of the Jewish Church, and of the blessed fruits 
which had sprung from the faith of the Old Testa- 
ment; and it is delightful to discover such instances 
of genuine piety in the retired walks of private life, 
ata time when their national character had been sadly 
deteriorated, and the scribes, and rulers, and Pharisees 
had made the commandment of God of none effect 
by their traditions. There was still amongst them a 
blessed remnant—a peculiar people, who cherished the 


322 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


faith, and walked in the footsteps of faithful Abra- 
ham. And it is deeply interesting to mark, that, as 
they were prepared, on the one hand, by their spiri- 
tual acquaintance with the truth as it had been revealed 
in the Old Testament, for the reception of any other 
revelation which God might be pleased. to make; so 
God was pleased to manifest the utmost care for them, 
and to give them the earliest and best opportunities of 
acquiring a knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus,— 
thereby fulfilling the law of his spiritual administra- 
tion: “To him that hath shall be given, and he shall 
have more abundantly ; while from him that hath not, 
shall be taken away that which he seemeth to have.” 

Of this we have a very remarkable instance in the 
narrative which relates to the experience of Cornelius, 
at the time when he was made acquainted with the 
full truth of the Gospel, and a change was wrought 
upon him, which cannot, I think, be considered as a 
case of conversion, for he was already a devout be- 
liever,—but as a case of advancement, or of transla- 
tion from the lower form of the Jewish to the higher 
form of the Christian faith, but still in the same 
school and under the same teacher. This will become 
apparent, if we consider, : 

1. His state and character previous to the time 
when this change occurred. He was by birth a Gen- 
tile—by profession a soldier ; but notwithstanding the 
disadvantages to which he was thus subjected, he had 
become a proselyte to the Jewish faith, and believed in 
and worshipped “the one only, the living and true 
God.” His character is thus described—* A devout 


CORNELIUS. 823 


man, and one that feared God with all his house, 
which gave much alms to the people, and prayed. to 
God alway ;’ and again, “ A just man. and one that 
feareth God, and of good report among all the nations 
of the Jews.” I need not dwell on the proof which 
these words afford of his being a believer in the Jew- 
ish religion, and a worshipper of the true God. _ Suf- 
fice it to say, that such language is never applied in 
Scripture to any idolater or heathen ; and that his was 
not a mere natural religion, appears from its being 
incidentally mentioned, that “ at the ninth hour of 
the day, he was praying in his house,”—the hour of 
evening sacrifice among the Jews, when such as were 
not present at the temple prayed at home, as we read, 
“ Peter and John went up together into the temple, 
at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.” And 
as he conformed to the Jewish worship, so it is evi- 
dent that his prayers were addressed to the God of 
- Israel,—and not only so, but that they were accepted 
of him, for the angel said to him, ‘* Thy prayers and 
thine alms are come up for a memorial before God,” 
whence we infer that he must have been a genuine 
believer, and a justified man, since “ without faith it is 
impossible to please God; for he that cometh to God, 
must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of 
them that diligently seek him.” He was acquainted, 
then, with God’s revealed truth, as it had been made 
known by Moses and the prophets, and had embraced 
it with a lively faith which led him to fast and pray, and 


to care for the religious instruction of his family,—and- 


loving God, he loved his neighbour also, for he “ gave 


At 


6, 


324 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


much alms to the people ;” nay, it would seem that 
he was not altogether ignorant of the Gospel itself, 
although he had not been fully instructed or firmly 
established in the belief of its truth; for when Peter 
came to him, he said, “* The word which God sent 
unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus 
Christ (he is Lord of all): that word, ye know, which 
was published throughout all Judea, and began from 
Galilee, after the baptism which John preached.” We 
are to consider him, I apprehend, as a Gentile prose- 
lyte to the Jewish faith, who, without submitting to 
the rite of circumcision,—for we Jearn that he was 
uncircumcised, from the objection to Peter’s conduct, 
which was afterwards founded on this consideration, 
—did nevertheless embrace the faith of the Jewish 
Church, and worship the God of Israel, being encou- 
raged, doubtless, by the gracious provision which had 
been made for the admission of strangers to a partici- 
pation in its privileges (2 Kings vi. 41; Isa. lvi. 6) ; 
and as a devout and conscientious man, who acted up 
to the light he had, and waited for more,—listening 
to the reports which had reached him of the miracles 
and preaching of Jesus, but without having yet arrived 
at a clear apprehension or certain belief of the Gos- 
pel. And on the whole, he may be regarded as a 
believer, in the same sense in which Abraham wasa 
believer, or the. cloud of witnesses mentioned in the | 
llth of the Hebrews, who <* all died in faith, not 
having received the promises, but having seen them 
afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced 
them, and confessed that they were strangers and 


CORNELIUS. 825 


pilgrims on the earth;” and being a believer, he 
was justified and accepted, as they were, by faith in 
God’s covenant promise; nay, as many were who, 
like himself, were not Jews, but sinners of the Gen- 
tiles, —for there was a promise before the law was 
given, even the first promise, that “the seed of the 
woman should bruise the serpent’s head ;” and that 
promise, with the accompanying rite of sacrifice which 
prefigured “the Lamb slain from the foundation of 
the world,” afforded a sufficient object of faith, and a 
solid ground of hope, to many who had no natural 
connection with Abraham and his family. By this 
faith Melchizedek was justified, and Jethro the father- 
in-law of Moses, and Rahab before she had any inte- 
rest in Israel,—nay, Abraham himself, before he was 
circumcised ; for, says the apostle, “ Faith was reckon- 
ed to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then 
reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in un- 
circumcision ?: Not'in circumcision, but in uncircum- 
cision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a 
seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had 
yet being uncircumcised, that he might be the father 
of all them that believe, though they be not circum- 
cised, that righteousness might be imputed unto them 
also: and the father of circumcision to them who are 
not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the 
steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he 
had being yet uncircumcised.” Such seems to have 
been the state of Cornelius previous to the events 
which are recorded in the chapter before us; but here 
a question may arise,—If he was already a believer and 


326 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


a justified man, what necessity existed for any change 
such as is here described, and especially for the em- 
ployment of agency so various and so extraordinary as 
is said to have been put in motion for his instruction 
and improvement? Some have supposed, that had 
he died in his present state he must have perished,* 
founding mainly on an expression which occurs in 
the following chapter, where Peter, rehearsing what 
had occurred, represents the angel as having said to 
Cornelius, «Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, 
whose surname is Peter, who shall tell thee words 
whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.” Hence 
it has been inferred that he had not yet acquired a 
saving knowledge of divine truth, nor entered on a 
state of acceptance with God; but I apprehend the 
expression admits of being understood in a sense 
which does not necessarily imply what is thus ascribed 
to it, while the whole description which is given of 
his character seems very plainly to imply-the reverse.+ 
The centurion, we believe, was at that time in a state 
of transition from the Jewish to the Christian faith $ 
and the change which now occurred in his views 
ought to be regarded as his advancement from an im- 
perfect to a more perfect state, rather than as his first 
conversion to God. He underwent precisely the same 
change which was wrought on all the devout Jews who 
“looked for redemption in Jerusalem,” and “ waited 


* Cornelius had not, as’ yet, the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus, 
He was noteven a Jew. He was a Gentile Roman, but had turned from_ 
the pagan idolatries to pray to the true God, He was not, therefore, 
saved. Had he died in that state, he would not have had salvation.”= 
Conversion.. By Rev. J. K. Craig, Oxon, vol. ii. p: 256. 

* See Robert Haldane’s Evidences, vol. ii, p. 429. 


CORNELIUS. 327 


for the consolation. of Israel,” when having long ex- 
pected the promised Messiah, they were led to believe 
that Jesus was he. That God would send a deliverer; 
was the subject of their faith as Jews,—that “ Jesus 
was the Christ,” became the subject of their faith as ~ 
Christians. Before he knew Christ, and while as yet: 
under the influence of prejudice, he was saying, ‘* Can 
any good thing come out of Galilee?” “Nathaniel was 
“an Israelite indeed, in whom was no guile ;’ but 
when Jesus spoke to him, and convinced him of his 
omniscient knowledge by a few simple words, he be- 
lieved and exclaimed, “ Rabbi! thou art the son of 
God; thou art the king of Israel.” Just such was 
the change which was wrought on Cornelius, the 
devout Gentile believer; and it was needful that such 
a change should be effected, for two reasons,—one of 
which was personal to himself, the-other of a more 
public nature. It was necessary for HIMSELF that he 
should now believe the truth as it is in Jesus: it was 
no longer true that God would send a deliverer—the 
Deliverer had already come ; and from the time of his 
advent it became necessary to ‘believe and acknow- 
ledge that “ Jesus is the Christ.” Had he died before 
Christ’s advent, or even after his advent, but before 
he had any sufficient information on the subject, he 
might have’ been saved as Abraham was, and all the 
faithful children of Abraham were, by the faith of 
what God had promised to the fathers; but had he 
rejected Christ, or refused to believe in him, when he 
had been fully informed of all that he did and taught, 
his unbelief would have been fatal, not only because 


328 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


it rejected the Saviour, but also because it indicated 
the-absence of that Spirit of faith in the true meaning 
of the Old Testament itself, which, wherever it exist- 
ed, was invariably found to embrace the Gospel when 
it was first proclaimed. There was an affinity betwixt 
the faith of a spiritual Jew or proselyte, and the faith 
of the New Testament; in virtue of which, the one 
led on to the other, and found in it, not a new creed, 
but the completion—the perfecting of the old one. 
—-But the events which are recorded in this chapter 
were not designed exclusively, nor, perhaps, chiefly, 
for the personal benefit of Cornelius and his family ; 
they were designed to subserve an end of the highest 
importance, and of a public nature, with reference to 
the Church at large,—to make it manifest that the 
«‘ middle wall of partition,” which had long divided the 
Jews from the Gentiles, had been taken down,—that 
in Christ “There is neither Jew nor Greek, circum- 
cision nor uncircumcision, bond nor free, but Christ is 
all and in all;” and that the Christian church was to 
be truly Catholic, as comprehensive of all nations and 
peoples and tongues,—the Gentiles being admitted on 
an equal footing with the Jews to a participation of its 
holiest privileges, and a share in its highest hopes. 
IJ. This leads me to consider the circumstances 
which accompanied, and the means which effected 
the change in the centurion’s views and profession, 
—when, from being a Jewish proselyte, he became a 
Christian convert. In the accompanying circumstan- 
ces, many of which were miraculous, we have a beau- 
tiful example of the concurrence of various means 


CORNELIUS. 399 


towards the accomplishment of one end, such as 
affords a most interesting illustration of the working 
of God’s providence. For one day at Cesarea, about 
75 miles from Jerusalem, a vision appeared to Cor- 
nelius, instructing him to send messengers to Joppa, 
and to call for one Simon, whose surname was Peter. 
Next day, while the messengers were on their way, 
Peter went up to the house top to pray, about the 
sixth hour, and he had the vision, as it were, of a 
great sheet descending from heaven, and: containing 
all manner of beasts, accompanied with the command, 
“ Arise, Peter, kill and eat ;” and when he objected, 
saying, ‘‘ Not so, Lord, for I have neyer eaten any 
thing common or unclean,” the voice answered, “ What 
God hath cleansed, that’call not thou common :” this 
was done thrice, and the vessel was received up again 
into heaven. And while Peter doubted in himself 
what this vision which he had seen should mean, the 
messengers arrived, and furnished, unconsciously, a 
key for its explanation ; for their words seem imme- 
diately to have suggested to his mind the true mean- 
ing of the vision, as appears from his language, when 
he said to Cornelius and his friends, “ Ye know how 
that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew 
to keep company or come unto one of another nation 3 
but God hath showed me that I:should not call any 
man common or unclean.” And when, after he de- 
clared the Gospel, ‘‘ the Holy Ghost fell on all them 
that heard the word, so that “‘ they began to speak 
with tongues and magnify God,” the whole purpose 
of God in this series of visions was. made clear,—even 
Y 


ig 
at af 


330 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


that the Gentiles should be admitted, as well as the 
Jews, to the privileges and hopes of the Christian 
Church. All this was implied in the vision of the 
sheet which descended from heaven and contained 
all manner of four-footed beasts,—for the distinction 
betwixt clean and unclean animals had been purposely 
adopted as a mark of separation betwixt the Jews 
and the Gentiles, as we learn from the law of M oses : 
“Tam the Lord your God, who have separated you 
from all other people. Ye shall therefore put differ- 
ence between clean beasts and unclean, and between 
unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your 
souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any man- 
ner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which 
I have separated from you as unclean. And ye shall 
be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have 
severed you from other people, that ye should be 
mine.” So long as the distinction subsisted. betwixt. 
the clean and the unclean beasts and fowls, a wall of 
partition interposed to divide and separate the Gen- 
tile from the Jew; but when the sheet descended, 
containing all manner of beasts, and creeping things, 
and fowls, and Peter was commanded to kill and eat, 
——and when, in answer to his objection, that “ he had 
never eaten any thing common or unclean,” he was 
told, “ What God hath cleansed, that call not thou 
common,”—he was thereby significantly informed, not 
merely that the distinction of meats should now cease, 
but that the Old Testament dispensation was pass- 
ing away, and that the .separation betwixt Jew and 
Gentile, which that distinction marked and tendéd to 


CORNELIUS... 831 


perpetuate, was now-to be completely and for ever 
abolished. And this great lesson was taught by a 
series of successive events, all distinct and independent 
of each other, but concurring by a most marvellous 


coincidence to the accomplishment of the same end,— — 


insomuch, that the apostle’s mind must have been as 
much impressed by the leadings of God’s providence 
as by the express declaration of his will, with the 
belief of the great catholic truth, that the Christian 
Church was to comprehend both Jew and Gentile, 
and that they were all ‘‘ one in Christ.” 

While these circumstances accompanied, and were 
subservient to the change which was wrought on his 
views and sentiments, the means by which it was pro- 
perly effected, was the truth, declared by the apostle, 
and applied by the Holy Spirit. The message which 
Peter delivered was, in all respects, suitable to his case, 
It contained (1.) an unequivocal recognition of Corne- 
lius, and other believing Gentiles, as belonging to the 
Church of God and accepted of Him. ‘ Then Peter 
opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that 
God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation he 
that feareth him and worketh righteousness, is accepted 
of him.” In these words the apostle clearly intimates 
the delightful truth, that the Church of God is catholic, 
and comprehends all believers, of whatever country, 
colour, or clime,—a truth which the Jews and the 
apostles themselves were slow to entertain, and which 
probably had first been carried home to the mind of 
Peter by the memorable incidents recorded in. the 
chapter before us. Peter was employed on that occa- 


332 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


sion, and was the appointed agent in effecting a great 
change in the constitution of the:Church, by the ad- 
mission of Gentiles to the privilege of baptism ; so 
that, were the words of our Lord, when he said, 
‘¢ Thou art Peter, and on this rock will I build my 
Church, and the gates of heil shall not prevail against 
her,” considered as having some reference to the per- 
son, as well as to the confession, of that apostle, we 
should find a sufficient fulfilment of the prediction in 
the fact, that Peter was actually employed to found 
the Caruoric Church, and had thus a distinguished 
‘pre-eminence, although he could claim. no primacy 
over the rest of the apostles. But however this may 
be, it is clear that Peter now understood and declared 
the great truth, that the middle wall of partition be- 
twixt Jews and Gentiles was removed, and that, “ in 
every nation he that feareth God, and worketh right- 
eousness, is accepted of him.” 

His words, however, on this memorable occasion 
have been grievously perverted ; and several false in- 
ferences have been drawn from them. Some, con- 
sidering Cornelius as a Gentile, and founding on his 
declared acceptance with God, have inferred the sufh- 
ciency of mere natural religion, and the indifferency 
or non-importance of all varieties of creeds, provided 
only they who profess them be sincere. This mon- 
strous heresy, which prevails so extensively in the 
world, and which has sometimes been presented, with 
the fascinations of poetry, to the gti mind,—as when 
it is said, 


** For forms of faith let senseless bigots fight, 
His faith cannot be wrong whose life is in the right,”— 


CORNELIUS. 333 


this grievous error is utterly repudiated by every Chris- 
tian mind which really believes the truth, and appreciates 
the value of the Gospel. The Church of England does 
not hesitate to say, in her Articles, “that they are to be 
held accursed who presumed to say, that every man 
shall be saved by the law or sect which he professeth, so 
that he be diligent to frame his life according to that 
law, and the light of nature ;” and most assuredly, the 
sentiment which is here so pointedly denounced, de- 
rives no support or countenance from the case of Cor- 
nelius. For the religion of Cornelius was not derived 
solely, nor even chiefly, from the volume of Nature: 
it was drawn from the revelation of God's truth in 
the Old Testament Scriptures, with which he had be- 
‘come acquainted during his residence in Palestine, and 
which had already converted him from the Gentile to 
the Jewish faith; and, so far from representing the 
knowledge and belief of the truth as a matter of in- 
difference, the narrative shows with what solicitude 
and care God provided for the farther instruction of 
Cornelius, with a view to his advancement, when he 
vouchsafed a series of supernatural visions, and em- 
ployed the ministry of Peter, and granted the gift of 
the Holy Ghost, in order that the Jewish proselyte 
might become a Christian convert—a baptized profes- 
sor of the Gospel. _ When, therefore, the apostle said, 
«Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of 
persons; but in every nation he that feareth him, and 
worketh righteousness, is accepted of him,” he did 
not mean to intimate that the privileges of salvation 
were extended indiscriminately to all men, without 


334 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES, 


reference to their religious creed, as if they might be 
safe under any form of natural religion, while they 
were ignorant of the Gospel ; but simply that these 
privileges, and the knowledge and faith with which 
they are inseparably connected, were not confined to 
the nation of the J ews, but extended to true converts 
from every nation under heayen. 

Still less does the narrative afford any countenance 
to another erroneous opinion which it has sometimes 
been employed to support,—the opinion, that a moral 
life will render a man acceptable to God, independ- 
ently of religion; and that it matters little whether 
he be religious or no, provided only his conduct: be 
decent and exemplary. For whatever virtues are here 
ascribed to Cornelius—his justice, his charity, and his 
social respectability,—were the fruits of religious prin- 
ciple, and inseparably combined with the-fear of God, 
and the faith of divine truth, and the habit of prayer ; 
so that those men of mere morality, who, from taste 
or education, or the influence of worldly prudence, or 
the example of others, maintain a decent exterior, 
while they are utterly irreligious, and live without 
prayer and without God in the world, cannot justly 
found any hope of acceptance on the case of Cornelius, 
of whom it is said, that he was a devout, or godly 
man, ‘“and one that feared God with all his house, and 
gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God 
alway.” 

Nor does this narrative afford any countenance to 
the legal or self-righteous doctrine, which represents 
the graces and virtues of a man’s character as the 


CORNELIUS. 335 


ground of his acceptance with God. It. is true that 
the angel refers to the devotion, and the alms, and 
the prayers of Cornelius, and declares “ that they had 
come up for a memorial before God,”—just as we learn 
that, at the last. day, the Judge will refer to the con- 
duct of his believing people in feeding the hungry, 
and clothing the naked, as the proper fruit and eyi- 
dence of their faith and love; but the sole ground of 
their acceptance is the redemption of Christ; and 
surely no one can imagine, that the good qualities 
which are here ascribed to Cornelius, were the meri- 
torious cause of his salvation, when Peter was sent to 
speak to him as a sinner, and to tell him that, “ through 
Christ’s name, whosoever believeth in him shall re- 
ceive remission of sins.” The prayers and the alms 
of Cornelius are not referred to as being the grounds 
of his pardon—for that rested solely on the redemp- - 
tion of Christ—but as being the evidences of his faith 
in the promise of a Sayiour; a faith which God. gra- 
ciously rewarded by making known to him the fulfil- 
ment of that promise in the person of Christ. 

The message of Peter, while it contained an une- 
quivocal recognition of Cornelius, and other Gentile 
believers, as belonging to’ the Church of God, pre- 
sented also to his mind (2.) a summary of Gospel 
truth, accompanied mith its appropriate evidence, 
with the view of convincing him that ‘“ what God had 
promised to the fathers,” he had so fulfilled in the 
person of Christ. The Gospel properly consists in 
the doctrine of Christ, in his person, offices, work, and 
reward; and all these points of Gospel truth are pre- 


336 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


oo 


sented in the short but comprehensive statement of 
the apostle. He intimates the personal dignity of 
Christ—“ He is Lord of all;” his humiliation, as 
“ Jesus of Nazareth ;” his divine mission—for ** God 
sent the Word unto the children of Israel, preaching 
peace by Jesus Christ ;” his divine unction with the 
Holy Ghost, whereby he became the Christ, the Lord’s 
Anointed—for “ God anointed Jesus of Nazareth 
with the Holy Ghost, and with power ;”his holy life, 
and beneficent ministry—* Who went about doing 
good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, 
for God was with him;” his miraculous power—¥For 
we are witnesses of all things which he did, both in 
the Jand of the Jews and in Jerusalem ;” his igno- 
minious and painful death—“Whom they slew, and 
hanged on a tree;” his resurrection from the dead, 
and manifestation to his disciples—‘‘ Him God raised 
up the third day, and showed him openly, not to all 
the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God ; 
eyen to us, who did eat and drink with him after he 
rose from the dead ;”his commission to the apostles 
—<‘ He commanded us to preach unto the people, and 
to testify that it is he who was ordained of God to be: 
the Judge of quick and dead ;” and, finally, the sum 
and substance of the Gospel—the same Gospel which 
had been preached beforehand to Abraham, but was 
now more fully unfolded—* To him gave all the pro- 
phets witness, that through his name whosoever be- 
lieveth in him shall receive remission of sins.” Even 
this brief analysis, without any detailed exposition of 
Peter’s address, may suffice to show how pregnant it is 


CORNELIUS. 337 


with all Gospel truth, and how admirably suitable to 
the case of Cornelius. He wasa devout man, a prose- 
lyte to the Jewish faith, and one that waited for the 
consolation of Israel. -He had even heard—for the 
apostle speaks of him as “ knowing ”—the Word which 
God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace 
by Jesus Christ; but probably he had not had an 
opportunity of satisfying himself as to the truth of 
the Gospel, and was waiting, in a prayerful spirit, for 
farther instruction, and clearer light, And while he 
waited and prayed, God sent this message, and pre- 
pared the way for it by those visions, first. to himself, 
and afterwards to "Peter, which afford such an affect- 
ing proof of God’s solicitude and care for every humble 
inquirer.. And the message was, in every respect 
suited to his case; for it anaes known to him the 
meaning and substance of the Gospel, of which it con- 
tains two brief, but most comprehensive summaries — 
being described, in the one, as God’s proclamation of 
peace through Jesus Christ (ver. 36); and, im the 
other, as a message which declares, “ that through his 
name, whosoever believeth in him shall recewe remis- 
sion of sins 5 "and, secondly, it made known to him 
the evidence by which the truth, as itis in Jesus, 1s 


certified as of divine: and infallible authority; for he © 


appeals to God’s testimony, who “ anointed him with 
the Holy Ghost,” and who was with him in his mighty 
works ;—to the testimony of the apostles, who. were 
eye-witnesses of his miracles, and conversed with him 
after his resurrection ;—and to the concurrent witness 
of ancient prophecy, for “ the testimony of Jesus is 


ace 


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338 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


the spirit of prophecy.” And, when this reference to 
the evidence which arises from God’s testimony, and 
that of his inspired apostles and prophets, was imme- 
diately followed up by the descent of the Holy Ghost, 
—insomuch, that “ while Peter yet spake, the Holy 
Ghost fell on all them which heard the Word; so that 
they of the circumcision which believed were aston- 
ished, as many as came with Peter, because that on 


; the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy 


Ghost; for they heard them speak with tongues, and 
magnify God,”—need we wonder that Cornelius at 
once embraced the Gospel, and entered, by baptism, 
into the Christian Church ? 

The Holy Spirit was the agent by whom Cornelius 
was convinced-and established ; partly by his miracu- 
lous gifts, which are no doubt intended in the narra- 
tive, and which afforded evidence on which his faith 
might securely rest; but partly, also, by his spiritual 
grace, accompanying the preaching of the Word, by 
which he was enabled to believe to the. saving of his 
soul, 

III. As to the nature of the sligtce which was now 

wrought on the mind of Cornelius, and its practical 
results in his life and conversation,—it properly con- 

| aed in his being enabled to believe, that the Messiah 
whom God had promised to the fathers, and whom, 
as a believer in Old Testament prophecy, he had long 
expected, had actually come, and that Jesus of Naza- 
reth was he. - The whole of Peter’s message is directed 
to the establishment of this great truth, that “ Jesus 
is the Christ ;” and the cordial reception of that truth, 


; 
~ 


CORNELIUS. 339 


in its full Gospel import, constituted the change which 
now passed on the mind of the devout centurion. 

In the case of one who had previously been so consci- 
entious, and whose whole character was consistent with 
his profession as a Jewish proselyte, there was no room 
for such a striking manifestation of the change which 
is wrought by conversion, as in the case of the Phi- 


lippian gaoler, or even of Saul of Tarsus. But it was _ “ 


doubtless, attended, even in his experience, with avery 
ereat and happy change; for not only is it said, that 
“ he was baptized,” in token alike of his faith in 
Christ, and his submission to Christ’s command, - but 
he and his household “ glorified God.” 

~ "We have here—a beautiful exemplification of the 
way in which the providence of God works in differ- 
ent places, on the same plan, and for the same object. 
Simultaneously at Joppa and at Czxsarea, God’s agency 
was at work; and the coincidence or concurrence of 
events demonstrated the interposition of Him “ who 
is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.”— 
We have also an interesting example of personal and 
family religion, under the less perfect dispensation of 
the Old Testament, and one which may well put to 
shame many a professor enjoying far higher privileges 
amongst ourselves. Cornelius was a godly man, and. 
he carried his religion into his family, caring for the 
souls of those who were committed to his care: “ he 
feared God with all his-house,”’—“ he prayed in his 
house,”—he had “ a devout soldier” for his servant, 
—-and he collected his whole household to listen to 
the apostle, saying, “ Now, therefore, are we all here 


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340 eG ILLUSTR AEE Bases. 


oe before God, to hear all things that are com- 
manded thee of God.”—Again, the case of Cornelius 
affords a memorable proof of the efficacy of prayer, 
and how much prayer is concerned in the advance- 
ment of believers, as well as in the conversion of sin- 
ners. Cornelius was praying when “ the man in bright 
clothing stood before him ;” Peter was praying when 
the sheet descended from heaven ; and the Centurion’s 
kinsfolk and friends were assembled for the same pur- 


pose when Peter arrived.—But the great end of all the 


visions and events recorded in this chapter was to de- 


-elare the abolition of all distinctions betwixt Jew and 


Gentile, so that both were alike welcome to share in the 
plessings of the Gospel, and that no man should now be 
called common or unclean. The instruction of Corne- 
lius and his family, important as it was, was not the 
only, nor even the chief object of God in this wonderful 
interposition. It was designed to remove the prejudice 
which ‘the Jews, and even the apostles themselves, 
still entertained against the Gentiles, and to open the 
door for their admission into the Christian Church. 
The narrative teaches us to cherish a catholte spirit 
—first, as it represents Cornelius as a true believer, 
although a Gentile by birth, and a Jewish proselyte 
by profession ; and: secondly, as it shows that every 
one on whom the Holy Spirit is bestowed, be it in his 
miraculous gifts, or in his.renewing grace, is to be 


‘recognised and received as a member of the Church of 


Christ. ‘Can any man forbid water that these should 
not be baptized, who have received the Holy Ghost 
as well as we 2” 


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CHAPTER VI. 
LYDIA. Ct: 
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Acts xvi. 18-15, eS a 
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Mts 
THERE is one important circumstance which was com- =f fel) 
mon to all those cases of conversion that are recorded f 
in Scripture, and which well deserves our most serious 
consideration,—I mean the direct operation of the 
Holy Spirit on the mind of every true convert to the 
Christian faith,—in ‘the way of applying the truth, 


which is ordinarily the means of conversion. The ‘ 
agency of the Spirit is specially referred to by our Lord Sea , 
himself, in one of the last and most affecting of those 7 y 


addresses which he delivered to his disciples before he 
his death. And by comparing his words with other 
passages of Scripture, we learn that there were two 
very different ways in which the Spirit should act; 
or, that there are two distinct modes of operation by 
which he carries into effect his great design. The one 4 
is external, and sensible; the other is internal, and 
spiritual. We read of “ the manifestation of the 
Spirit which is given to every man to profit withal ;” 
and we read of the “ indwelling of the Spirit wee 
8 pe . a 


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349 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


hearts of true believers.” In other words, the dispen- 
sation of the Gospel is called the “ ministration of 
the Spirit,” for two distinct reasons—first, on ac- 
count of the miraculous gifts which were vouchsafed 
to the apostles and first converts; and secondly, on 
account of the enlightening, converting, and sanctifying 
grace which rendered.the Gospel effectual for their 
salvation. There is a wide difference betwixt the 
two. They differ in their nature, their use, and 
their effects ; the one being an appropriate evidence, 
a divine attestation of the truth; the other, a direct 
operation on the soul, by which it is renewed and 
quickened, and turned from darkness. to light, and 
from the. power of Satan unto God. And not only 
are they. widely different,—we have reason to believe 
that they might be separated from each other. Such 
being the difference betwixt the miraculous gifts and 
the inward graces of the Spirit, it is a delightful truth, 
that the latter, and the more valuable of the two; is 
the permanent inheritance of the Christian Church, 
His miraculous gifts were to cease when they had 
fulfilled. their end, by establishing the truth; but his 
office did not cease. Nor was his work completed 
when, by his descent on the day of Pentecost and his 
subsequent effusion at Cesarea on the Gentiles, the 
promise of the Father was fulfilled, and the truth of 
the Gospel established. Considered as an evidence, 
the gift of the Spirit was decisive ; but evidence is not 
enough—nor an inspired Bible—nor a faithful minis- 
try.. In every human heart there is.a spirit of unbe- 
lief and enmity, and many a lofty imagination, which 


LY DiAse iy 343 


exalteth itself against the knowledge of God ; which 
is not overcome by any amount of evidence, or by the 
mere force of truth, and can only be subdued by the 
inward grace of the Spirit; and hence we learn that 
it belongs to his office, and forms a part of his blessed 
work, at all times, to “ shine into our hearts’—‘ to 
renew us in the spirit of our mind”—“ to quicken 
us into spiritual life’——“ to open our eyes” —and “ to 
turn us from darkness to light, and from the power of 
Satan unto God.” 


The direct personal operation of the Spirit on the 


soul of every convert, is beautifully illustrated by the 
case of Lydia, It is said of her, that while she listened 
to the preaching of the Word, « the Lord opened her 
heart, so that she attended unto the things which were 
spoken of Paul.” —° 

1. In regard to her state and character before hercon- 
version and baptism, the narrative, although extremely 
short, contains several intimations, which throw a very 
interesting light on her case, and that of a Jarge class in 
our own time, who resemble:her in the chief points of 
their character. It is intimated that, like the Roman 
centurion, and the Ethiopian treasurer, she was a 
proselyte to the Jewish faith, and a believer in the 
one only, the living and the true God. By birth a 
Gentile, and a native of Thyatira, she had come to 
Philippi asa seller of purple ; and, although a stran- 
ger, she maintained in the city of her adoption, and 
amidst the idolatries which. prevailed in it, a devout 
attachment to her religion, and continued in the wor- 
ship of God. It is also intimated, I think, with sufii- 


: 
=" se 


344 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


cient clearness, that she was really devout, and imbued 
with a spirit of prayer ; for not only did she observe 
the Sabbath, in conformity with the law of Moses, 
but, when probably no other opportunity was afforded 
of attending the ordinances of public worship, in a 
city where both the magistrates and the multitude 
seem to have been easily excited against any imnova- 
tion in their public customs, she “went out of the 
city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be 
made.” It is deeply interesting to mark, that, at the 
time of her conversion, this devout woman was attend- 
ing a prayer meeting, in the open air, by the water 
side, along with a few other women who were in the 
habit, it would seem, of assembling together for this 
_ purpose, for it is said that “they resorted thither ;” 
and it is not less interesting to notice, that Paul and 
his companions did not reckon it beneath them to 
join that humble meeting, but, on the contrary, leay- 
ing the noise and tumult of the city, they sought out 
the little band of praying women, and sat down beside 
them, and spake to them the Word of life. And 
while they were thus engaged in prayer and confer- 
ence, ‘“ the Lord opened the heart of Lydia”—a 
striking proof of the immediate efficacy of prayer. 
Without prayer, we have no reason to look for a bless- 
ing. God may, indeed, and sometimes does surprise 
a prayerless sinner: he is sometimes found of them 
that sought him not, as in the case of the gaoler in 
this same city ; and then the first effect of his change 
will be the same that the Lord marked in the case of 
Paul, when he said, “ Behold, he prayeth!” But 


. a 


LYDIA. 345 


although this may happen, in manifestation of God's 
sovereignty and the riches of his undeserved mercy, 
there is no promise in the Bible except to prayer, and 
that promise is alike unlimited and sure—* Ask, and 
ye shall receive ; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and if 
shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh 
receiveth ; and he that seeketh findeth ; and to him 
that knocketh it shall be opened.” “ If any man lack 
wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men 
liberally, and ee a not, and it shall be given 
him.” 

It is implied, however, in the narrative, that while 
she was a proselyte to the Jewish faith, and a sincere 
worshipper of the true God, her heart was still shut 
or closed against the reception of the truth as it is in . 
Jesus. It is said, “the Lord opened her heart ;? an _ 
expression which lsat implies, that,-devout as she | 
was, her heart was in such a state, that, but for the 
gracious operation of the Spirit, it would have ex- 
cluded the Gospel message. Such is the natural state 
of every heart ; and by the heart, I mean, as is gene- 
rally meant in Scripture,—the whole moral nature 
of man,—including alike his understanding, his con- 
science, his will, and his affections. In this: compre- 
hensive sense, the heart is closed against the reception 
of the truth,—and every- faculty presents. an obstacle 
such as divine grace alone can remove. In reference 
to unregenerate men, it is expressly said, that their 
understandings are shut against the light of the Gos- 
pel—insomuch, that of the Jews, with the Old Testa- 


ment in their hands, it is said, “ But their minds 
Z 


346 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES, 


were blinded,”—*‘ the veil was upon their hearts,” 
—and “if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that 
are lost:.in whom the god of this-world hath blinded 
the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of 
the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of 
God, shouldshine unto them”—and “ the natural man,’ 

uniyersally, “‘receiveth not the things of the Spirit 
of God, for they are foolishness unto-him ; neither can 
he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 
And so the conscience is “ seared as with a hot iron” 
— the “very mind and conscience is defiled ’”— and 
“‘the heart is hardened ; and thus there are many 
bars or obstacles which obstruct the entrance of the 
truth.* There is the bar of tgnorance : many “hear 
- the Word, but understand it not; and the wicked 
one taketh away that which was sown ;—there is the: 
bar of unbelief, which rejects the testimony of God ; 

—there is the bar of enmity—for ‘“‘the carnal nae 
is enmity against God ; it is not subject to the law of 
God, neither, indeed, can be ;’—there is the bar of 
presumption or pride: ‘‘ The wicked, through the 
pride of his countenance, will not seek after God; 
God is not in all his thoughts ;”—there is the bar of 
discouragement and despair: “Thow saidst there is 
no hope ; for I have loved strangers, and after them will 
I go ;’—there is the bar of unwillingness—“ Ye will 
not come to me that ye might have life ;’—there is the 
bar of worldly-mindedness : * The cares of the world, 
and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the Word, and 
it becometh unfruitful ;’—There is the bar of sloth: 


* Andrew Gray’s Sermons, — 


LYDIA. 347 


« A little more sleep, a little more slumber, and the 
folding of the hands to sleep ;’—there is the bar of 
vicious passion and depraved habits—any one bosom 
sin being enough to exclude the saving power of the 
truth“ for this is the condemnation, that light hath 
come into the world, and that men have loved the dark- 
ness rather than the light, because their deeds are evil.” 
Under the influence of these, and similar hindrances, 
the heart is closed against the admission of the truth, 
—closed as really as are the eyes of the blind, or the 
ears of the deaf; for, says our Lord himself, “ In them 
is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By 
hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand ; and 
seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this 
people’s-heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull 
of hearing, and their eyes they have closed ; lest at any 
time they should see with their eyes, and hear with 
their ears, and should understand with their heart, and 
should be converted, and I should heal them ;” and in 
thé same light does he represent the state of our own 
hearts, when he now says to each of us, “ Behold, I 
stand at the door and knock : if any man will hear my 
voice, and will open the door, I will come in to him.” 
But, it may be asked, If Lydia was a sincere and 
devout worshipper of the true God, is it reasonable to 
suppose that her heart was thus shut against God’s 
truth? I answer, that, even in persons of true piety 
there may be much remaining ignorance, and many 
groundless prejudices, which, but for the enlightening 
grace of the Spirit, might prevent them from embrac- 
ing the Gospel. This was remarkably exemplified in 


348 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


those “ devout and honourable women, and the chief 
men of the city, whom the Jews stirred ‘up, and who 
raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and 
expelled them out of their coasts,—insomuch, that the 
apostles shook off the dust of their feet against them ;” 
and still more, in the case of Paul himself, who was a 
Pharisee, and the son of a Pharisee, living according 
to the straitest sect of the law, yet his heart was barred, 
by invincible prejudices, against the truth, until it was 
removed on his way to Damascus. And so of Lydia. 
She, too, was devout ; but her heart was closed, until it 
was opened by the Lord; and many professors, in mo- 
dern times, resemble her in this—being conscientious 
and devout according to their light, but still ignorant 
or unbelieving, or imbued with strong prejudice,* in 
regard to the Gospel of Christ.—just as Nathaniel 
himself, of whom our Lord said, “ Behold an Israelite 
indeed, in whom there is no guile,” was yet so far 
influenced by mere prejudice, as to say, in answer to 
the first intimation he received of the Messiah, “ Can 
any good thing come out of Galilee?” And if, in such 
cases, divine agency be needful to open the heart for 
the reception of the truth, how much more in the vast 
majority who are utterly irreligious and unconcerned ! 

IJ. If we consider the means by which her conyer- 
sion was effected, we shall find that here there was 
no miraculous accompaniment of any kind, but an ex- 
ample only of what takes place in the experience of 
every genuine convert. It issimply said, “ A certain 
woman heard us, whose heart the Lord opened, that 


* M‘Laurin’s Essay on Prejudices against the Gospel, 


LYDIA. 349 


she attended unto the things which were spoken of 
Paul.” ‘ 

But this pregnant statement brings before us, in a 
state of beautiful combination, two things which are 
equally essential to a sinner’s conversion: the first is, 
the agency of the Spirit; and the second is, the instru- 
mentality of the Word. ‘There was a direct personal 
operation of the Spirit on the heart of Lydia; he re- 
moved those obstacles which might otherwise have 
obstructed the admission of the truth. It was not 
Paul who effected this. Paul preached ; but, though 
inspired with supernatural wisdom, and endowed with 
miraculous powers, and especially with the gift of 
tongues, he says himself, “ Paul may plant, and 
Apollos water; but God giveth the increase. Who 
then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by 
whom ye believed, according as the Lord gave to 
every man?” God alone can open the heart. That 
change consisted in opening the understanding to dis- 
cern the light of God's truth—the conscience, to feel 
its convincing power—and the heart, to receive its 
sanctifying influence; and this belongs to the office 
of the Holy Ghost whose worK Is HEART-woRK, and 
consists of two parts—the opening of the Scriptures, 
and the opening of the mind, as we learn from the 
case of the disciples after his resurrection, of whom it 
is said in one place, that they exclaimed—* Did not 
our hearts burn within us while he talked with us by 
the way, and opened unto us the Scriptures ;” and 
in another,—“ Then opened he their understandings, 
that they might understand the Scriptures.” 


. “ ’ 
* the 
/ * 


350 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


But while the Lord only can open the heart, he 
employs the truth as the instrument of conversion’ to 
the careless, and of edification to the devout inquirer. 
The Spirit’s agency does not supersede the use of the 
Word: on the contrary, the truth read or heard is 
still the wisdom of God, and the power of God, unto 
salvation. “The Lord opened the heart of Lydia,” 
but he did so “ that she might attend unto the things 
which were spoken of Paul.’ It is by the truth con- 
tained in the Word that this great change is wrought 
—that being the instrument which the Spirit of God 
renders effectual ; and hence, while we are said to be 
* born of the Spirit,” we are also’said to be “ born 
not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, even by 
the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever ;” 
and again, while the Spirit is revealed as the Sanc- 
tifier, our Lord himself prayed, in these memorable 
words, “ Sanctify them by thy truth; thy Word is 
truth.” . And both are combined—both the agency 
of the Spirit and the instrumentality of the Word, 
—in that- comprehensive statement of the apostle, 
“God hath from the beginning chosen you unto sal- 
vation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief 
of the truth.” Various similitudes are employed to 
represent the same thing ; the Word is compared to a 
Jire or furnace, in which His people are melted and 
tried—but the Lord sits as a refiner over it;—and as 
a hammer, a powerful instrument, but inert in itself, 
and effectual only when applied by a powerful arm ;— 
and as a sword—* the sword of the Spirit, which is 
the Word of God”—a sharp two-edged sword, but 


au ia 


LYDIA. 351 


utterly powerless unless it be applied by the Spirit. 
So Davyid’s prayer combines a reference to both— 
“ Open. thou mine eyes, that 1 may see wonderful 
things out of thy law.” . 

III. The nature of Lydia’s change, and the practi- - 
cal results which flowed from it, are briefly indicated 5 
but enough is said to show, that she had that “ faith 
which worketh by love,” and in which properly consists 
<« the new creation ;” for we read that she was baptized, 
thereby professing her faith in Christ, and her sub- 
mission to his authority;—and that, too, in a city where 
the professors of the Gospel were exposed to reproach 
and persecution -__that, as soon as she was baptized, 
she besought the apostles, saying, “ If ye have judged 
me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, 
and abide there,”—her faith working by dove to Christ 
and to his ministering servants, and producing zeal for 
his cause and service, such as prompted her to make 
sacrifices for his name’s sake; and, if these principles 
of faith and love were really planted in her heart, 
they would unquestionably produce, in her after-life, 
all the “ peaceable fruits of righteousness.” 


The case of Lydia suggests various practical les- 
sons.’ It affords an example.of the care with which 
God provided for the instruction of sincere inquirers 
in the Jewish Church. It shows, in a very striking 
light, the efficacy of prayer, as a means of spiritual 
advancement. It illustrates the necessity of a great — 
spiritual change, even in the case of such as are 
regular in their attendance on ordinances, and con- — 


i 


352 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


scientious according to their light. It affords a 
beautiful exemplification of the relative functions of 
the Word and Spirit in the work of conversion, and 
enforces the duty of combining diligence, in the use 
of means, with a spirit of dependence on the divine 
blessing. And it shows how different are the feel- 
ings of one “whose heart the Lord has opened ” 
towards his faithful ministers, and those of the un- 
godly multitude: —she constrained the apostles to 
reside in her house ;—they rose against them, and 
committed them to prison, making their feet fast in 
the stocks . 


TIMOTHY. 353 


CHAPTER VII. 


TIMOTHY. 


2 Tim. iii. 14, 15, 


Ir appears from Scripture, that while many are con- 
verted after a long course of carelessness and sinful! 
indulgence, others are trained up for God from their 
earliest years, and sanctified even from the womb. The 
experience of these two classes must necessarily be 
widely different; while, in whatever is essential to rege- 
neration, it must be substantially the same in all. All 
men being by nature fallen and depraved, that which 
is “born of the flesh being flesh,” and “ the carnal 
mind being” in every instance “ enmity against God,” 
a new spiritual birth is universally and indispensably 
necessary in order to a new spiritual life; and no 
man lives, however gentle his natural disposition, and 
however propitious his early education, of whom it 
may not be said, that except “‘he be born again, he 
cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Whenever that 
change occurs, and by whatever means it may be 
accomplished, it is substantially the same in all; it 
implies the enlightening, convincing, renewing, and 


=. 


ae 


354 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


sanctifying work of the Spirit, whereby the natural 
blindness is removed, and the natural enmity subdued, 
and the natural man becomes a new creature—in all 
his views and feelings, his desires and affections, his 
aims, and habits, and hopes. And we greatly err, if 
we suppose that, in any one case, a good natural 
temperament, or a sound religious education, can of 
themselves introduce a fallen being into the spiri- 
tual kingdom of God, or supersede the grace and the 
agency of the Holy Spirit. That is spirit, and that 
only, which is born of the Spirit; and every soul 
that is really converted must have that. experience 
which is common to all true believers, and which 
consists in conviction of sin, an apprehension of the 
mercy of God in Christ, a cordial compliance with the 
Gospel call, and a course of conflict and warfare with its 
own corruptions. But while some such change must 
be wrought on every one at the period of his conver- 
sion, it may be brought about in a variety of ways, 
which will occasion great diversity in the experience 
of different believers. Some, for instance, are ‘per- 
mitted to grow up without any religious culture, being 
deprived of the inestimable privilege of a father’s 
counsel and a mother’s prayers, and surrounded, in- 
stead, with the noxious influences of a domestic circle 
where there is no fear of God, no form of religion, 
and nothing in the shape of example, except what is. 
fitted to corrupt and contaminate. Thus neglected in 
early life, and inured to vice from their earliest years, 
they go forth into the world, not only unprepared to 
resist, but predisposed to comply with its temptations; 


TIMOTHY: 355 


and following the bent of their own evil passions, and 
falling in with the current of evil society, they may 
remain for years utterly careless of their souls, of 
God, and of eternity—and may be allowed to go on to 
great lengths in wickedness ; till, by some providential 
dispensation, or by an awakening sermon, or even by the 
remorseful restlessness of their own consciences, they 
are brought’ under serious concern, and led to inquire, 
« What must we do to be saved?” The case of such 
persons is illustrated by the experience of the dying 
malefactor and of the Philippian gaoler, who had both 
been careless, and one of them utterly flagitious in 
life; till, by the awful circumstances. in which they 
were placed, they were awakened, convinced, and 
converted to God. But while such cases do occur, 
and are sufficient to show that God’s grace is alike 
free and sovereign, and able to soften the hardest 
heart, and to save even at the eleventh hour ; there 
are others whose experience is widely different,—they 
are the children of religious parents,—they have en- 
joyed the inestimable advantages of Christian instruc- 
tion, and the still more precious privilege of constant 
intercourse with a domestic circle where every influ- 
ence is favourable to their moral culture,—where 
example is combined with precept, and the tenderest 
affection with paternal authority, and the family meet 
around the domestic altar, to read God’s Word, and 
to sing his praise, and to unite in social prayer,—and 
every association, the more tender and the more en- 
during, because formed in the morn of life, connects 
religion with the most endearing relations and the 


eR 


* 


356 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


holiest charities of home. By such means, many grow 
up in those families which are nurseries for the Church 
of Christ, well instructed in the truths of the Gospel, 
impressed with a feeling of reverence for religious 
ordinances, and imbued with sentiments and disposi- 
tions which render them amiable and engaging in 
their manners, and which serve at least to preserve 
them from the grosser pollutions of the world ; while 
in not a few, the precious seed sown in early life, 
takes root in the heart, and grows up so gradually 
and imperceptibly, that they may not be conscious, 
at any one time, of any great or sudden change, such 
as was experienced by the dying thief and the poor 
gaoler ; although really the work of grace is begun, 
and will be carried on to perfection. In such cases, 
it is manifest that we are not to expect precisely the 
same course of experience as is found in those who, 
after a life of sin, are suddenly awakened and changed. 
And of this class we have selected the case of Timothy 
as a very interesting and instructive example. 

The account which is given of this eminent and 
devoted servant of God, shows, that his first serious 
impressions were derived from his religious education 
in early life, and from the pious care and example of 
his parents. The apostle tells us, that from “ a child 
he had known the holy Sceriptures,”—referring to his 
early instruction in the truths of the Old Testament, 
to which he had access,- although his father was a 
Greek, through the pious care of his mother, who was 
a Jewess. For he is thus introduced to our notice: 
‘¢ Then came Paul to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a 


TIMOTHY. 357 


certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son 
of a certain woman which was a Jewess, and beliey- 
ed; but his father was a Greek.” But what is of 
much more importance than her mere profession, she 
was.a woman of sincere piety ; and the same piety 
characterised other members of her family. For the 
apostle writing to Timothy, as “his dearly beloved 
son,” says, “‘I thank God when I call to remem- 
brance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt 
first in thy grandmother Lois and thy mother Eunice ; 
and I am persuaded that in thee also.” Here is a 
beautiful example of domestic piety; the aged grand- 
mother cherishing an unfeigned faith in the promise 
which God had given to the fathers, and waiting for 
the consolation of Israel; the mother cherishing the 
same hope, and gladly embracing the Gospel as soon 
as it was proclaimed to her, for she was not only a 
Jewish but a Christian believer; and the young man, 
taught from his earliest years to “know the Scrip- 
tures, which were able to make him wise unto Salva- 
tion,” and becoming, under Paul’s ministry, a disciple 
in the school of Christ, and afterwards an eminent, 
zealous, and devoted minister of the everlasting Gos- 
pel. Being connected with a Greek by marriage, the 
pious Jewess had not, it would seem, insisted on the 
circumcision of her child; but she was not inattentive 
to his religious training—she instructed him in the 
knowledge of God’s truth. And most amply was her 
motherly care repaid, when this child of many prayers 
became the companion of an apostle, and the honour- 
ed instrument of founding many churches, and win- 


358 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


ning many souls to Christ. The details of his expe- 
rience are not recorded ; but from the incidental inti- 
mations which are given in the course of the two 
epistles which were addressed to him, we may gather 
that his experience: corresponded in substance with 
that of every other child of God; he must have been 
convinced of sin; so as to feel his need of.a Saviour, 
——he must have been enlightened in the knowledge 
of Christ, so as to perceive his all-sufficiency and 
suitableness,— and he must have personally closed 
with Christ, receiving him as his Prophet to teach, as 
his Priest to reconcile, and as his Lord to govern-him. 
All this is implied in his profession as a Christian, 
and especially as a Christian evangelist, since nothing 
short of this could have sufficed, either for his own 
salvation or for the work of the ministry ;—and what 
secret conflicts, what inward struggles he endured, 
educated as hé had been by pious parents, and in- 
structed, too, by an ‘inspired apostle, is sufficiently 
evinced by the exhortation of Paul, where he speaks 
of his being engaged in a warfare—* Fight the good 
ficht of faith, lay hold on eternal life,”"—‘ Hold 
fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard 
of me,’—‘ Continue thou in the things which thou 
hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of 
whom thou hast learned them ; and that from a child 
thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able 
to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which 
is in Christ Jesus.” 

The case of Timothy affords several useful lessons. 

1, It shows that little children are capable subjects 


% 
. 


ks 


TIMOTHY. 359 


of divine grace. In the case of adults, the truth ap- 
prehended and believed is the instrumental means of 
conversion and sanctification ; but before children are 
capable of knowing the truth, they are fit subjects 
of God’s grace, as is evident from many passages of 
Scripture. We read of some who were sanctified from 
the womb: “ Now hear, O Jacob my servant: and 
Israel, whom I have chosen: thus saith the Lord that 
made thee, and formed thee from the womb,—I will 
pour my Spirit on thy seed, and my blessing upon 
thine offspring: and they shall spring up as among 
the grass, as willows by the water courses. One shall 
say, I am the Lord’s; and another shall call himself 
by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe 
with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself 
by the name of Israel.” ‘ Hearken unto me, O house 
of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, 
which are borne by me from the. belly; which are 
carried from the womb: and even to your old age 
I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I 
have made and I will bear; even I will carry, and 
will deliver you.” It was by the Spirit that the Lord 
Christ was sanctified in his human nature, so that 
the angel spake of “the holy thing that should be 
born of Mary ;” and the prophet, of whom it is said, 
that ‘he was called from the womb, and formed from 
the womb to be his servant.” And when, during his 
personal ministry, “ there were brought to him little 
children, that he should put his hands on them and 
pray; and the disciples rebuked them,” Jesus said, 
‘“« Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come 


360 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


unto me; for of such is the kingdom of heayen.” 
Nay, on another occasion, “ Jesus called a little child 
unto him, and set him in the midst of the disciples, 
and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be con- 
verted, and become as little children, ye shall not 
enter into the kingdom of heaven.” That little chil- 
dren are capable subjects of God's grace, is implied 
in the provision that was made for their admission to 
the privileges of the covenant—first, by circumcision 
under the Old Testament—and secondly, by baptism 
under the New; and this precious truth is our war- 
rant and encouragement in prayer, when we remem- 
ber those objects of our tenderest affections at the 
throne of grace, while as yet they are unable to pray 
for themselves. | 

2. We learn from the case of Timothy, that a sound 
religious education in early life is often blessed as a 
means of saving conversion to God. The apostle 
traces Timothy’s religion to this source: “ From a 
child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are 
able to make thee wise unto salvation.” His early 
acquaintance with the Bible was a great and precious 
privilege ; for although, from the operation of other 
causes, Bible knowledge is sometimes unproductive of 
saving benefit, yet it is the instrument by which God 
works, an? an instruwent which is in itself at once 
absolutely perfect, and admirably adapted for the end 
which it is designed to’ serve. A great commenda- 
tion is given to the Word, when it is said, that “it is 
able to make us wise unto salvation;” that “ it is pro- 
fitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for 


wv’ oe 


- 


TIMOTHY. 361 


instruction in righteousness ;” and that it is sufficient 
“to make the man of God perfect, thoroughly furnish- 
ed unto all good works.” The Bible contains all the 
truth which is needful to be known for our salvation; 
considered simply as a means or instrument, it is abso- 
lutely perfect: and every parent who really believes 
in God’s Word, and considers it as God’s instru- 
ment for the salvation of sinners, must feel it to be his 
most sacred obligation, as well as his sweetest privi- 
lege, to impart to his immortal children a. knowledge 
of its precious truths. He will remember that he has 
in his hands an instrument which God himself de- 
clares to be “ the sword of the Spirit,’—that he has that 
truth which is emphatically described as “the good 
seed;” and, with mingled feelings of awe, and gratitude, 
and hope, he will seek to apply that instrument to the 
heart of his child, and to sow that precious seed in his 
soul from his earliest years. Nor will he be content 
with giving a few formal lessons, or prescribing a few 
stated tasks; out of the “ abundance of his heart 
his mouth will speak,” and his conversation will be 
seasoned with God’s truth, in those hours of affection- 
ate and confiding converse when the hearts of his 
children are most open to receive “ the truth in love,” 
—remembering God’s words to his ancient people: 
“ These words, which I command thee this day, shall 
be in thine heart ; and thou shalt teach them diligently 
unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou 
sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the 
way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest 
up.’ But neither formal instruction, nor frequent 
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~~ 362 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


of 


conversation on divine truth will avail, unless they be 
combined with exemplary faith and piety on the part 
of parents. Children are quick to discern every, even 
the minutest indication of real character ; and a great 
part of their education consists in those impressions 
which are made on their minds incidentally, and which 
are often imperceptibly deepened, by circumstances 
which escape the notice of their parents. True edu- 
eation is a course of ¢raining,—not a system of lessons, 
but the formation of practical habits, and these depend 
far more on the spirit and conduct of a family than 
on the tasks of the school: “ Train upa child in the 
way he should go, and when he is old he will not 
depart from it.” This training implies much more 
than mere teaching; it is best promoted by the 
unfeigned faith and holy living of which the apostle 
speaks in the mother and grandmother of Timothy ; 
and it is deeply interesting to mark how this eminent 
servant of God was prepared for his future labours by 
the quiet and unostentatious, but real piety of these 
women in the private walks of domestic life, and that 


the Holy Spirit himself, in preparing a record for the 


universal and permanent instruction of the Church, 
does not. disdain to mention, in connection with the 
labours of an inspired evangelist, the unfeigned faith 
which dwelt first in his grandmother Lois, and after- 
wards in his mother Eunice ;—nor can we doubt that 
this is the reason why many an aged saint is spared, 
when their work on earth might seem to be finished, 
even_that they may exhibit the power of God’s grace 


and truth to the generation following, and leaye the 


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TIMOTHY. 363 


impress of their own characters on the tender minds 
of the children that are playing around them ! 

3. We learn from the case of Timothy, that true 
religion is sometimes implanted in the soul of a child 
at a very early period, and continues to grow with his 
growth, and strengthen with his strength, although 
for a time his progress may appear to‘ be almost im- 
perceptible. Jesus himself said, “ The kingdom of 
heaven is like to a grain of mustard-seed, which a 
man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the 
least of all seeds; but when it is grown it is the 
greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the 
birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof;” 
and again, “‘ the kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, 
which a woman took and hid in three measures of 
meal, till the whole was leavened.” These parables 
are equally descriptive of the kingdom of God as it 
exists in the world, and of the kingdom of God in every 
single soul ;—grace grows and spreads, and that, too, 
imperceptibly, just as the mustard-seed springs from 
the earth, and the leaven diffuses itself amongst meal. 
‘This is often the blessed effect of an early religious 


education; and although the good seed of the Word 


should not spring up so quickly as we could desire, 
yet, being incorruptible, we may cherish the hope that, 
sooner or later, it will be quickened, so as to produce 
the peaceable fruits of righteousness, long, it may be, 
after we have been gathered to our fathers. 


In now addressing those who, like Timothy, have 
enjoyed the privilege of an early religious education, 


* 


364 ILLUSTRATIVE ‘CASES. 


and who may still enjoy the society, or at least re- 
member, with affectionate gratitude, the counsels and 
the prayers of their pious parents, I must not forget 
that they. may yet belong to two very different classes. 
There may be some who, like Timothy, have not only 
known the Holy Scriptures from their youth, but have 
also that ‘“ unfeigned faith which dwelt in him:” 
while there may be others who enjoyed, like him, the 
advantages of a religious education, and are as yet, at 
least, destitute of saving grace. No human being may 
be able to discriminate betwixt the two classes, so as 
to determine to which you individually belong; but I 
would affectionately remind you, that there are two 
classes even amongst those who have received a reli- 
gious education, and that it is of infinite moment that 
you should determine for yourselves whether you be- 
long’ to the one or the other. 

The apostle's exhortation is addressed to Timothy 
on the supposition that he was a true believer, and is 
applicable, in its original purpose, only to such as have, 
like him, been made wise unto salvation; but before 
applying it to such, I would address myself to all who 
have shared in the advantages of early religious in- 
struction, and would affectionately. remind you, that you 
have much reason for gratitude, and at the same time, 
for a very deep sense of your responsibility, on account 
of the privileges which you have enjoyed. Even 
should the instruction which you have received, and 
the example which you have been privileged to witness, 
fail in leading you to saving conversion, be assured that 
they are in their own nature privileges of great value, 


TIMOTHY. 365 


and that they will form an element in your last ac- 
count. You will stand at the judgment-seat on a very 
different footing from that of the poor outcasts who 
live in the wretched streets and lanes of our city, and 
will be reckoned with for the use of your Bibles, and 
your closets, and your family worship, and all your 


other means of grace; for it is the equitable law of ~ 


God’s kingdom, that to “ whomsoever much has been 
given, of him shall the more be required.” Impressed 
as I trust you are, with this solemn reflection, and 
with a sense of God’s distinguishing goodness to you, 
permit me farther to remind you, that as there are 
many advantages, so there are also. some peculiar 
dangers in your case; and of these I shall only men- 
tion, first of all,—the tendency, of which you may per- 
haps be conscious, to take too readily for granted that 
you are religious, merely because you are a member 
of a religious family, and have been from your youth 
accustomed to religious observances, forgetting that 
religion is, with every soul of man, a personal matter, 
and that it has its seat in the heart ;—secondly, the 
danger of your mistaking the natural and common 
fruits of a religious education for thorough conversion 
to God,—your knowledge, your amiable dispositions, 
your gentle manners, your correct habits, your atten- 
dance on ordinances,—all these and many more may 
be nothing else than “the form of godliness while you 
are destitute of its power ;—and thirdly, the danger of 
your supposing, that. because you know a great deal 
more than others, you have no need of farther inquiry, 
and may give your thoughts to other studies, and your 


Ma 


a, 


366 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


time to other pursuits. These temptations are peculiarly 
incident. to you, and while I warn you against them, 
I would point out a few symptoms by which you may 
discover the real state of your heart. Are you con- 
scious of a sincere desire Godwards,—such a desire as 
leads you to pray for yourselves in secret, as well as 
to join with your families in prayer? Do you, in 
your private, and family, and public prayers,—do you 
really seek after God, and offer up the desires of your 
heart to him ? Are you convinced of sin, and have 
you discovered that the “ heart is deceitful above all 
things, and desperately wicked ??— and, under a 
‘sense of sin, are you seeking to be cleansed by the 
blood of Christ, and to be purified by the grace of his 
Holy Spirit? If thus concerned for the salvation of 
your souls, you are seeking it in the way of God’s 
appointment, and making conscience of duty, then 
«wait upon the Lord, and be of good courage, and he 
will strengthen your heart; wait, I say, upon the 
Lord.” To you the apostle’s exhortation may be ad- 
dressed, when he says to Timothy, ‘Continue thou 
in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been 
assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, 
and that from a child thou hast known the Holy 
Scriptures ;”—continue, i. e., “ hold fast the beginning 
of your confidence,—be not turned away from the 
hope of the Gospel, but continue in these things 5” 
nay, “meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly 
to them, that thy profiting may appear to all.” Paul 
deemed it necessary to address such exhortations 
to Timothy, his dearly beloved son, of whose un- 


TIMOTHY: 367 


feigned faith he had no doubt, and to whom he gave 
that honourable testimony, “ Ye know the proof of 
him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with 
me in the Gospel.” And if, notwithstanding, Paul 
be so urgent in exhorting him to flee youthful lusts, 


- to avoid the snares and temptations of the world, to 


watch over his own spirit, and to maintain a constant 
warfare with sin,—oh! is not this an affecting proof 
that you, too, require to be strengthened, and stirred 
up, and animated in the path of duty? His exhorta- 
tion specially points to the careful and continued use 
of the means of grace; and if these were needful for 
Timothy, how much more for you ¢ 

But if there be any who have enjoyed the advan- 
tages of a religious education, and who are yet unable 
to discover in themselves any of those hopeful symp- 
toms which I have described ; if they cannot honestly 
say, that they have ever made the salvation of their 
souls a matter of personal concern ; that they have 
ever sought after God, either in the retirement of 
their closets, or in the season of domestic worship,— 
or that they are now resting on Christ’s atonement, 
and desirous of the Spirit’s grace; if, on the contrary, 
they begin to be conscious of a repugnance to the 
strict views of religion in which they were brought 
up,—of a disposition to cherish slighter thoughts of 
sin and to extenuate its guilt, or of a tendency to 
be weary of a religious life, and to long after greater 
licence and gaiety than their father’s house affords ; 
if they are seldom or never found on their knees, or 
with their Bibles in their hand, and yet flatter them- 


“ 
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ay) 


er 


368. F ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


. 


selves that there may be some easier road to heaven 
than their fathers trod before them,—oh! let me be- 
seech them, now, and before they advance one step 
in that way which appears to them so attractive, to 
pause, and choose such a course as they will be con- 
tent to live and die in; and to remember, while they 
make their choice, that heayen or hell is inyolyed 
in it! 


is 


ei 


CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST, 369 


CHAPTER VIII. 


CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST. 


Acts ii. 


THE nature, method, and results of true scriptural 
conversion may be illustrated by the striking narra- 
tive which is given of the events that occurred at 
Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. These events 
were in many respects extraordinary; they were ac- 
companied with miraculous interposition, they. pro- 
duced a powerful impression on the public mind, and 
they resulted in the sudden and simultaneous conver- 
sion of many thousand souls; yet, in other respects, 
they correspond exactly with the usual methods of 
God’s procedure in the conversion of individual sin- 
ners, and may be improved, as affor ding an instructive 
example of the great change which? may be still 
wrought by the faithful preaching of the Gospel, when 
it is applied by the power of his Spirit. 

I, In regard to the previous state of the three 
thousand souls who were converted on this occasion, 
there is reason to believe that they belonged to two 
distinct classes,—the first including devout persons 


sa 


ae 


ie 


370 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


who were religious according to the light which they 
had previously enjoyed; and the second including, 
perhaps, a still larger number of irreligious men who 
had rejected and persecuted the Saviour, and were 
chargeable with the guilt of instigating or consenting 
to his death. The distinction which I draw betwixt 
these two classes is founded on those parts of the 
narrative, on the one hand, which declare that among 
the assembled multitude there “ were dwelling at 
Jerusalem, devout men, out of every nation under 
heaven ;” and on the other hand, on those parts of 
Peter’s sermon in which he directly charges on those 
whom he addressed the guilt of the Lord’s blood :— 
“¢ Him being delivered by the determinate counsel of 
God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have cruci- 
fied and slain,”——“‘ God hath made that same Jesus, 
whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” So 
“that here we have a variety of characters. Among 


*s the “devout men” who were assembled at Jerusalem 


for the celebration of a great religious festival, there 
might be ‘some intelligent and godly Jews or prose- 


—lytes, who, like Cornelius, “ feared God, and gave 
much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway ;” 


—some others, who, like the Ethiopian treasurer, were 
ignorant but sincere,—while perhaps there were not 
a few, who, like the devout women at Antioch, were 
filled with Jewish prejudices, and with an intolerant 
zeal which might lead them to take part in persecut- 
ing Christ and his humble followers. And among 
the mixed multitude who listened to Peter's sermon, 
there were probably men of every different shade of 


CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST. 37i 


character,—some who had been active agents in the 
crucifixion of the Lord,—others who had been mere 


spectators of it; and who, according to their several — 


habits of thought and feeling, were so differently 
affected by the miraculous manifestation of the Spirit, 
that while some were impressed and affected by it, 
others treated it with mockery and scorn. How many 
belonging to each of these various classes were con- 
verted, we have no means of ascertaining; but it is 
plain that not a few then underwent this great change 
who were chargeable with the guilt of the Saviour’s 
blood: for when Peter pressed this charge on their 
consciences, they “were pricked to the heart,’— 
clear proof that they were self-convicted and self- 
condemned. 

II. If we now consider the circumstances which 
accompanied, and the means which effected their con-_ 


version, we shall find that it is of considerable prace 
tical importance to distinguish betwixt these two 
things, and to assign to each the place which properly 


belongs to it. The circumstances of this case were, 
in some respects, extraordinary and peculiar, and such 


as have no parallel in the usual experience of the 


Christian Church, and the means which contributed 


more or less directly to the result which is here re- , 


corded, were some of them preparatory, others imme- 
diate and direct. 

This great awakening of souls was preceded by 
fervent and united prayer. This was an important 
preparatory means,—a means which, in accordance 
with the faithful promise of God, engaged almighty 


372 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


power on the side of the preachers of the Gospel. 
The apostles had been commanded by the Lord, im- 
mediately before his ascension to glory, to wait at 
Jerusalem until they should receive the promise of 
the Father ; and when they returned to the city from 
Mount Olivet, “they went up into an upper room, 
where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and 
Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Mat- 
thew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, 
and Judas the brother of James. These all continued. 
with one accord zn prayer and supplication, with 
the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with 
his brethren.” The number of the disciples at this 
time was about one hundred and twenty,—these all 
continued to meet for prayer ; and so, “ when the day 
of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one 
accord in one place,” when the promise of the Father 
was suddenly fulfilled by an outpouring of the Holy 
Ghost. 

_ Mark here how prayer preceded the most remark- 
‘able awakening of souls that ever occurred in the 
Church of God; nay, how it stood connected with 
the miraculous gifts of the Spirit. It was after fre- 
quent united prayer, and it was when they were again 
assembled for the same purpose, that “they were all 
filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with 
other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” It 
is worthy of remark, too, that the Lord had given 
them an express promise, which left no doubt as to 
the communication of the Spirit’s gifts; for not only 
had he said, before his crucifixion, “I will pray the 


CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST. 373 


Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that 
he may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of 
truth ;” but again, after his resurrection from the 
dead, and immediately before his ascension to glory, 
he said, ‘‘ Behold I send the promise of my Father 
upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until 
ye be endued with power from on high.” ‘“ And being 
assembled together with them, he commanded them 
that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait 
for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have 
heard of me.’ “ Ye shall receive power, after that 
the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be 
witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, 
and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the 
earth.” The Lord’s promise, then, was express; but 
his promise did not supersede their prayer; on the * 
contrary, the former was the ground and reason of the 
latter, according to the saying of the prophet, “ I the 
Lord have spoken it, and I will do it. Thus saith the 
Lord God, I will yet for this be inquired of by the 
house of Israel, to do it for them.” 

Great things are still promised in answer. to believ- . 
ing prayer. For not only have we the general pro- 
mise, “ Ask, and ye shall receive; seek and ye shall 
find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you,’—but 
specially, in regard to the Holy Spirit, we have that 
precious assurance, “If ye, being evil, know how to 
give good gifts unto your children, how much more 
will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to 
them that ask him.” And a peculiar blessing is an- 
nexed to united social prayer; for “ I say unto you, 


374 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching 
any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for 
them of my Father which is in heaven. For where 
two or three are gathered together in my name, 
there am I in the midst of them.” Let these gracious 
promises be an encouragement to fervent, persevering 
prayer ; and let us, with holy importunity, never hold 
our peace day nor night. “ Ye that make mention 
of the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest, 
till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise 
in the earth.” i 

In answer to believing prayer, the primitive disci- 
\ ples received the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, 
which were also a preparatory means in leading to 
the great work of conversion which was soon after- 
wards accomplished. These gifts were, in various 
respects, fitted to prepare the way for that glorious 
work. They served at once to strengthen the faith of 
the disciples, as they were a manifest fulfilment of 
the Lord’s word of promise,—to qualify them for de- 
claring the Gospel message to men of yarious nations 
then assembled at Jerusalem, as they conferred a power 
of speaking to them in their own languages,—and to 
afford ample evidence to others of God’s interposi- 
tion, as they were, in their own nature, clearly and 
undeniably miraculous. We have already seca that 
the gift of the Holy Spirit was the crowning evidence 
of the divine mission of the Saviour: it was purposely 
' reserved, and expressly promised, as the divinely ap 
pointed proof of his ascension and exaltation to the 
right hand of God,—of the acceptance of his finished 


i 


CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST. 375 


work,—and of its efficacy in procuring those gifts for 
men which he died to purchase, and was exalted to 
bestow. And we may well admire the wisdom of 
God in providing this crowning proof of the divine 
mission of the Saviour, and manifesting it at that par- 
ticular time. For not only did it strengthen the faith 
of the apostles, and qualify them for declaring the 
Gospel in various languages,*—but being sent during 
one of the great annual festivals of the Jews, it made 
known the truth, and its divine evidence, to multi- 
tudes who were then collected at Jerusalem, and who, 
on their return to their respective homes, carried with 
them the seed of the Word, and scattered it every 
where threughout the world; for there were among 
them “ Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the 
dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappa- 
docia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, 
in Egypt, and in the Parts of Libya, about Cyrene, 
and strangers of Rome, Jews, and Proselytes, Cretes 
and Arabians.” 

Such were the preparatory means which led to the 
great work of conversion on the day of Pentecost ;— 
united social prayer on the part of the disciples or 
Church of Christ, and a miraculous effusion of the 
Holy Ghost in the gift of tongues. 

But you will carefully observe, that the conversions 


* [take for granted that the words are to be understood in their natural 
and obvious meaning. Dr Nranper of Berlin has attempted to show, as 
it appears to me, without success, that the apostles did not speak in other 
languages than their own, but spoke in their own language with such ecs- 
tacy and ‘power that others could understand them,—Neander’s History 
of the First Planting of the Christian Church, vol. i, p. 15. 


+i 


376 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


which are ‘here recorded are not ascribed solely, or 
even chiefly, to the miraculous and extraordinary cir- 
cumstances by which they were preceded ; otherwise, 
they would afford no ground to expect similar conver- 
sions in these modern times, when the gift of tongues 
has ceased. The miraculous dispensation of the Spirit 
was a powerful preparatory means; but the direct and 
immediate means of conversion in this, as in every 
other case, was the preaching of Gospel truth, applied 
to the heart and conscience by the Holy Ghost. The 
gift of tongues served an important purpose in prepar- 
ing the way for the free proclamation of the Gospel on 
the part of the apostles, and for the believing recep- 
tion of it on the part of the people; for it enabled the 
apostles to speak, and the peoplé to hear, the Gospel 
in various languages, so as that it could be clearly 
understood, and intelligently believed. It was fitted 
also to excite their interest, and to awaken their at- 
tention to the Gospel message, inasmuch as the gift of 
tongues evinced the miraculous interposition of God ; 
and it afforded sufficient evidence to authenticate the 
truth, and to establish the divine commission of the 
apostles ;—but farther than. this it went not: it was 
not of itself the means of converting the soul: that 
change could then be wrought by no other means than 
those which are still effectual for the same end,—I 
mean the truths of the Gospel, applied with power 
by the Spirit of God. You will observe, that no con- 


~ version followed immediately on the miraculous gift of 


tongues. The effect of that wonderful manifestation 
was, that all wondered, some doubted, others mocked ; 


CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST. 377 


—but none were converted till the glorious Gospel 
was. proclaimed. 

There were, in fact, THREE successive stages in the 
experience of those who were converted on the day of 
Pentecost ; and as many distinct results of the various 
means which were brought to bear upon them. First 
of all, before any discourse was addressed to them, 
the whole multitude were called to witness the mira- 
culous gift of tongues ; and this produced, as its ap- 
propriate effect, in some, a sense of awe and wonder ; 
and, in others, mockery and scorn: it set the minds 
of both classes to work,—but the one in the way of 
anxious inquiry, the other in the way of sceptical ex- 
planation ;—for the immediate result of this miracu- 
lous dispensation is described, when it is said, “‘ And 
they were all amazed, and were in doubt, Saying one 
to another, What meaneth this? Others, mocking, 
said, These men are full of new wine.” They were 
not converted—they were not even convinced by the 
miracle ; but their attention was arrested by means 
of it. 

Then followed, secondly, a work of conviction, 
which was wrought by the first part of Peter’s sermon, 
in which he established, by incontrovertible proof, the 
great truth, that Jesus is the Christ; and this effect is 
described, when it is said, “‘ Now, when they heard 
this they were pricked in their heart, and said unto 
Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, 
what shall we do?” Here we see the gift of the Spirit, * 


considered as the fruit and manifestation of Christ’s “ 


exaltation to glory, producing in the minds of unbe- 
Bh 


# 
4 t 


, > 


378 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


lievers a deep conviction of sin; according to his own 
intimation to the apostles—‘‘ When he is come, he 
will reprove or convince the world of sin ”—« of sin, 
because they believe not on me.” Still their conyer- 
sion was not complete—they were as yet only under- 
going the preparatory discipline of conviction, and im- 
bued with a spirit of thoughtful inquiry; but then 
followed, 

Thirdly, the work of real conversion, by which they 
were enabled and persuaded to embrace Christ for 
salvation ; and which was effected, instrumentally, by 


. the second part of Peter’s address, in which he de- 


clared the Gospel message, and exhorted them to close 


_ with it, by the gracious assurance, that guilty as they 


a 


were, they were welcome to come to Christ for life. 
“Then said Peter unto them, Repent and be baptized 
every one of you, for the remission of sins, and ye 
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; for the pro- 
mise is unto you and to your children, and to all that 
are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall 
call.” So that, on the day of Pentecost, it was the 
Gospel chiefly, and not the miracle, which Jed to the 
great work of conversion, by which three thousand 


‘souls were added to the Church of suen as should he 


saved. : 
The direct means, then, of this great work of con- 
version, was Peter’s sermon, in which he unfolded the 
Gospel message, and pressed it home on their hearts 
and consciences, with demonstration of the Spirit and 
power. : 

Let us briefly consider the scope and substance of this 


CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST. 379 


remarkable discourse. It divides itself into two parts. 
In the first, Peter does not disdain to remove a pre- 
judice from the minds of his hearers which might 
have disinclined them to receive the message he was 
about to deliver; and, accordingly, he begins by re- 
ferring calmly to the accusation which “ mockers” 
had raised against the apostles, as if they were intox1- 
cated or unduly excited. He then refers to a passage 
in the prophecy of Joel, which predicted an outpour- 
ing of the Spirit of God, in virtue of which many 
should prophesy before “ the great and notable day 
of the Lord;” and represents the events which they 
now witnessed as the visible fulfilment of that predic- 
tion. He proceeds fearlessly to preach Christ eruci- 
fied; he declares that Jesus of Nazareth was a 
man approved of God among them, by miracles, and 
wonders, and signs, which God did by him in the 
midst of them—appealing to their own knowledge, as 
affording ample confirmation of his testimony ; he then 
charges home upon them the guilt of having taken, 
and by wicked hands crucified and slain him—appeal- 
ing to their own consciences, as sufficient to convict 
them of this flagrant sin; he then declares his resur- 
rection from the dead, both as. predicted by the Psal-_ 
mist, and as testified by the apostles, who were all 
witnesses that God had raised him up; and, finally, 
he declares his exallation by the right hand of God,— 
not his ascension merely, but his glorification, in token 
of God’s acceptance, and in preparation for his great 
reward,—for he represents the gift of the Holy Ghost 
as having been received from the Father, as a pledge 


380 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


of his approbation, and as having been dispensed by 
the Son, in the exercise of his royal power as a Prince 
and Saviour; a gift which made it manifest, that He 
who once hung on the cross, was now seated on the 
throne; and that he occupied that throne by virtue 
of His authority who said to him, “ Sit thou on my 
right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool.” Thus 
Peter narrates the leading facts of the Lord’s personal 
history: beginning at Nazareth, he traces him through 
his public ministry to the cross,—from the cross to the 
grave,—and from the grave to the throne of heaven; 
and the one purport and design of the whole of his 
discourse, is just to establish, on the ground of its 
proper evidence, and to impress on their minds, that 
one great, but simple truth, which is stated inthe 36th 
verse, as the sum and substance of his present testi- 
mony—“ Therefore, let all the house of Israel know 
assuredly, that God hath made that same J esus, 
whom ye have crucified, Boru Lorp anp Curist.” 
The great object of the first part of Peter’s discourse, 
then, was to show that “Jesus is the Christ ;”? in 
other words, that the same Jesus who was born at 
Bethlehem, brought up in Nazareth, and was cruci. 
fied on Calvary, was the Messiah who had been pro- 
mised to the fathers; and that he was, as his name 
imports, God’s anointed One; his anointed Prophet, 
_ to declare his mind and will; his anointed Priest, to 
‘make reconciliation for the people ; and his anointed 
Lord and King, whom they were bound to obey. 
This one truth, if established, was sufficient to demon- 
strate their guilt in having crucified the Lord of glory, 


CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST. 381 


and to change all the views and feelings with which 
they had heretofore regarded him; for if Jesus was 
the Christ, then they had been guilty of rebellion 
against God when they put him to death! and how 
could they be safe, if He were now on the throne ? 
The immediate effect that was produced on their 
minds by the first part of Peter’s sermon, was a con- 
viction of their guilt and danger—a conviction which 
is here described as deeply painful and penetrating, 
when it is said, “‘ They were pricked in their hearts ;” 
and, under the influence of this conviction, they uttered 
that serious question, “ Men and brethren, what shall 
we do?’ They might have begun to think that all was 
over with them—that their case was utterly hopeless— 
that having crucified the Lord of glory, there remained 
nothing for them “ but a-certain fearful looking for 
of judgment, and fiery indignation :” their language 
bespeaks bewilderment, if not despair: they speak as 
men who know not to what hand to turn themselves, 
or what they could do.—But, oh! mark the freeness of 
the Gospel: having thus prepared them to receive the 
gracious message: having established the fact that Jesus 
is the Christ of God, and thereby awakened a sense 
of guilt and danger, and prompted a spirit of earnest 
inquiry,—Peter at once, and without any qualification 
or reserve, unfolds the glad tidings of a full and free 
salvation: he excepts none—he excludes none; he 
exhorts all—he encourages all; for this is the glorious 
message which he was commissioned to deliver— 
“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the 
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and 


oa 


382 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the 
promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all 
that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God 
shall call.” . 
This is emphatically 1 THE Gospret—the Gospel in all 
its fulness and in all its freeness. It proceeds on a sup- 
position of their guilt and danger, and addresses them 
as sinners, but, at the same time, and to these same 


sinners, it proclaims the remission of sins; nay, the | 


remission of sins through that very blood by which 


* 


their hands were stained, and which now lay heavy 


on their consciences. They are exhorted to be bap-— 


tized, in token of their being washed by that blood 
which might seem, like the blood of Abel, to call 
for Heaven’s vengeance against them; but this was 
“the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things 
than the blood of Abel,” and here God, instead of 


saying, ‘* What hast thou done? the voice of thy bro- 


ther’s blood crieth unto me from the ground,”—com- 


missions his ministering servant to preach that very | 


blood for the remission of sins! ‘True, it was their 
sin, that they had shed this blood; and Peter charges 
them with it, when he says, “* Him being delivered 
by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, 
ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified 
and slain;’—but mark, it was the very blood which 


they had sinfully shed, whereby they were to obtain 
the remission of that and of every other sin,—for this — 
was the blood of the New Testament shed for many, 


for the remission of sins.” It was their sin that they 
crucified the Lord ; yet his crucifixion was the means 


~ 


ve * 


ve ae 


Ss; * 


» 


CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST. 383 


of their salvation. And the same truth is applicable 
to ourselves; for be it remembered, our guilt was the 
real cause of the Saviour’s sufferings,—our sins were 
the nails which suspended him to the accursed tree : 
he who knew no sin was made sin for us; he was 
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for 
our iniquities; and as without the shedding of blood 
there could be no remission, so by the blood of Jesus 


‘the sins which caused his death are freely forgiven ; 


for now in consequence of that stupendous atonement, 


~ God can be the just God and yet the Saviour ; the 


sin has been expiated, and the sinner may be saved. 
This is the Gospel message; and it was the will of 
Him who died on the cross “ that repentance and re- 


Ss ae ° ° ° ° 
“mission of sins should be preached in his name among 


all nations, beginning at J erusalem.” 

The sum and substance of the Gospel is repentance 
and remission of sins,—remission of sins. through 
the name of Jesus; and the perfect freeness of it is 
beautifully illustrated by the narrative of what occur- 
red on the day of Pentecost, viewed in connection 
with our Lord’s command, that this doctrine should 
be preached among all nations, beginning at JERU- 
satpmM.—Beginning at Jerusalem!—the city of his 
murderers—the same city whose streets had but re- 
cently resounded with the ery, “ Crucify him ! crucify 
him !”—the city that had called forth his tears, when 
he wept over it, and said, “‘ O Jerusalem, J erusalem, 
thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that 
are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered 
thy children as a hen gathereth her chickens under 


a 


384 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


her wings, but ye would not,”— Oh! that thou hadst 
known, even thou, in this thy day, the things which 
belong to thy peace, but now they are hid from thine 
eyes,”—the city, which besides being washed with his 
tears, was now stained by his blood,—that same city, 
guilty, devoted as it was, was yet to receive the first 
announcement of the remission of sins, and the Lord’s 
command was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, when 
Peter freely proclaimed repentance and the remission 
of sins even to the very men whom he charged as the 
murderers of his Lord. To them, without exception 
and without reserve, he proclaimed a full and free 
salvation ; and in this one fact, we have a conclusive 
proof of the perfect freeness of the Gospel,—for where 
is the man now under the Christian ministry whose 
case is worse than that of the thousands who then 
received the joyful sound ? Viewing it in this light, 
John Bunyan, the able author of the « Pilgrim’s Pro- 
gress,” makes a felicitous and powerful application of 
this part of the Gospel narrative, to remove all the 
doubts and scruples of those who think themselves too 
guilty to be saved, or who do not sufficiently under- 
stand the perfect freeness of this salvation. He sup- 
poses one of those whom Peter addressed, exclaiming, 
But I was one of those who plotted to take away his 
life: is there hope for me? Another, But I was one 
of those who bare false witness against him: is there 
grace forme? A third, But I was one of those that 
erled out, * Crucify him ! crucify him !” can there be 
hope for me? A fourth, But I was one of those that 
did spit in his face, when he stood before his accusers, 


CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST. 385 


and I mocked him when in anguish he hung bleeding 
on the tree: is there hope for me? A fifth, But I was 
one who gave him vinegar to drink: is there hope for 
me? And when, in reply, Peter proclaims, “ Repent 
and be baptized EVERY ONE oF you for the remis- 
sion of sins, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost; for 
the promise is unto you and to your children,”— Bun- 
yan thus applies it to the conscience of every sinner : 
‘“‘ Wherefore, sinner, be ruled by me in this matter ; 
feign not thyself another man, if thou hast been a vile 
sinner. Goin thine own colours to Jesus Christ. Put 
thyself amongst the most vile, and let him alone, to put 
thee among the children. Thou art, asit were, called 
by name, to come for mercy. Thou man of Jerusa- 
lem, hearken to the call,’—say, “Stand aside, devil, 
Christ calls me. Stand away, unbelief! Christ calls 
me. Stand away, all my discouraging apprehensions, 
for my Saviour calls me to.receive mercy.” “ Christ, 
as he sits on the throne of grace, pointeth over the 
heads of thousands directly to such a man, and says, 
Come,—wherefore, since he says come, let the angels 
make a lane, and all men make room, that the Jeru~ 
salem sinner may come to Christ for mercy !” 

But while the free remission of sins through the 
blood of Christ was the salvation which Peter pro- 


claimed, it was a salvation which stood connected ~ 


with an entire change of mind and heart ; and hence 
the offer of a free forgiveness is combined with an 
exhortation to “ Repent and be baptized.” Repentance 
means properly a change of mind,—and implies faith 
in the truth which they had formerly rejected, but 


386 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


which they were now called to receive; sorrow for 
their sin in crucifying the Lord of glory, and a cheer- 
ful surrender of themselves to his authority, now 
that. they were convinced of his exaltation. It might 
seem to be an unreasonable thing in Peter to call 
upon them to repent, when this implied so great a 
change of mind and heart—a change so far surpassing 
the power of unaided nature. Was it not written, 
that “The carnal mind is enmity against God,”—that 
“The natural man receiveth not the things of the 
Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him ; neither 
can he know them, because they are spiritually dis- 
cerned,”—and “That no man can call Jesus, Lord, but 
by the Holy Ghost?” And what was there in his 
words that could overcome that enmity, or cure this 
blindness, or impart power to repent and believe ? 
Peter was not deterred by any consideration of this 
kind: he preached boldly, “Repent and be baptized,” 
and afterwards, “Repent and be converted,” simply 
_ because he knew that his word, weak in itself, might 
be made mighty through God to the pulling down of 
strongholds. For while such was the substance of 
Peter's sermon, which was the instrumental means of 
the great work of conversion on the day of Pentecost, 
it must never be forgotten, that the truth thus declared 
was rendered effectual by the accompanying grace 
of the Holy Spirit. I speak not at present of the gift 
of tongues, or of any other of the miraculous manifes- 
tations of the Spirit’s power ; but of his inward grace, 
exerted on the minds, the consciences, and the hearts. 
of the hearers, whereby “ their eyes were opened, and 


CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST. 387 


they were turned from darkness to light, and from the 
power of Satan unto God.” It is true that Peter was 
an inspired apostle; it is also true that the Gospel 
which he preached was in every respect suited as an 
instrument for effecting the conversion of souls; nay, 
it is equally true that his words were accompanied 
with such a manifest interposition of divine power, 
as was plainly miraculous; but all this would not 
have accomplished the work, had the inward, enlight- « 
ening, and regenerating grace of the Spirit been with- 
held. It is the solemn testimony of another apostle, 
himself an inspired man, and endowed with the gift 
of tongues and the power of working miracles, that 
«Paul may plant, and Apollos water; but God giveth 
the increase. Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, 
but ministers by whom ye believed, as God gave to 
every man.” If any believed, it was because “it was 
given to them on the behalf of Christ to believe on 
his name,” for “ faith is the gift of God;” and if any 
repented, it was because their hearts were softened 
and changed by Him who is “ exalted as a Prince and 
Saviour, to give repentance and the remission of sins.” 

There are two very different operations of the Spirit 
of God which are distinctly mentioned in the New 
Testament,—the one external, the other internal,— 
the one temporary, the other permanent,—the one 
peculiar to a few, the other common to all in every 
age who are savingly converted to God: ‘The first 
consists in those gifts of prophecy, or tongues, or 
miracles, which were the appropriate evidences of 
God’s interposition, but which were not in themselves 


388 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES, 


either the sure means or the invariable symptoms of 
salvation; the second consists in those inward graces 
of faith, repentance, love, peace, and joy, which con- 
stitute the elements of a new spiritual life in the soul. 

It follows that there must have been on the day of 
Pentecost another operation of the Holy Ghost, be- 
sides the miraculous gift of tongues—even a direct 
operation on the soul of every convert, applying the 
truth with power to his heart and conscience, sub- 
duing his will, and bringing him into captivity to the 
obedience of Christ. The effect of the miraculous 
dispensation corresponded with the impression which 
is now produced on the public mind by the reading 
of the Scriptures: many are impressed and half con- 
vinced, who are not savingly converted ; and in both 
cases an internal work of the Spirit is essentially 
necessary to give efficacy to his outward teaching by 
the Word, or his outward testimony by miracles and 
signs. ‘Thousands probably left the streets of Jeru- 
salem on that memorable occasion, awestruck and 
astonished by what they had seen and heard, but still 
unconvinced and unconverted; and the three thou- 
sand who believed, were enabled and persuaded to do 
so by the effectual grace of the Spirit of God. So is 
it at the present time. We still live under a dispen- 
sation which is emphatically called the “ ministration 
of the Spirit;” and although his visible testimony by 
signs and miracles is no longer vouchsafed, we have 
in our hand his written testimony—even the Word, 
which is the Spirit’s witness to Christ; but that Word, 
although replete with proofs of the Spirit’s teaching, 


CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST. 389 


will not avail for our conversion any more than the 
gift of tongues availed on the day of Pentecost for the 
conversion of all who witnessed it, unless it be accom- 
panied with that inward and effectual operation by 
which the three thousand were added to the Church 
of the living God. But this enlightening, convincing, 
and sanctifying grace of the Spirit, is the permanent 
privilege of the Christian Church; and “ while miracles 
have ceased and tongues have failed,” we are still 
privileged to expect that “ God will give the Spirit to 
them that ask him ;” and surely the Word, now com- 
pleted, and the Spirit, always promised, may yet ac- 
complish as great a work in the experience of modern 
believers, as was wrought on the day of Pentecost by 
the first preaching of the Gospel in the Streets of 
Jerusalem. 

III. We now proceed to consider the Resutt of 
this great work, as it is described in the short but 
significant account which is here given of the numbers 
who were converted, and the subsequent life and con- 
duct of the converts, 


In regard to the numbers who were converted on ° 


this memorable occasion, it is said, “‘ Then they that 
gladly received the Word were baptized; and the 
same day there were added unto them about three 
thousand souls.” Here isa remarkable and precious 
proof of the efficacy of the Gospel ministry when it is 
accompanied with the grace of the Spirit,—three 
thousand souls converted suddenly by one sermon, 
and that, too, from amongst a multitude who were 


chargeable with crucifying the Lord of glory, and in 


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390 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES, 


a city which was already doomed to righteous destruc- 
tion! There is much in this wonderful event that is 
fitted to encourage the hope and to animate the zeal 
of the Christian Church, in prosecuting the arduous, 
and, with reference to mere human power, the im- 
practicable work of the world’s conversion; for here 
we see how soon and how suddenly the most virulent 
opposition may be disarmed, and the most sceptical 
indifference broken up by the exercise of that divine 
power which can change the hearts of men, and con- 
vert the boldest gainsayers into humble disciples,—the 
fiercest enemies into the most devoted friends of the 
Gospel. That divine power still exists, and will be 
put forth for the conviction of the world and the in- 
crease and edification of the Church, in answer to 
believing prayer ; and this is the sheet-anchor of our 
hope—the sole ground of our confident. expectation, 
that sooner or later the whole earth shall be full of 
the knowledge of the Lord, and that all the kingdoms 
ofthe world shall become the kingdom of our God 
and of his Christ. The conversion of three thousand 
souls by one sermon, on the day of Pentecost, is only 
an example of what may yet be accomplished by the 
preaching of the Gospel, when “a nation may be born 
in a day ;” and the suddenness and magnitude of that 
work, accomplished as it was in circumstances so un- 
favourable, and on subjects so unpromising, should 
rebuke the incredulity with which we are too apt to 
regard any general awakening or remarkable revival 
amongst ourselves. | 
Perhaps it may be thought that we are not entitled 


CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST. 391 


to expect the same or similar results from the preach- 
ing of the Gospel in modexn times. It may seem, 
that as the age of miracles is-past, and.as we are now 
left to the ministry of uninspired men, it would be 
unreasonable, if not presumptuous, to anticipate any 
such remarkable success as attended the preaching of 
the apostles on the day of Pentecost. But why? Is 
not the Gospel still mighty through God? Is not 
the Spirit of God a permanent agent in the Christian. 
Church? And was it not by the Word and Spirit 
that the three thousand were converted at Pentecost? 
It is true, there was a miraculous gift of tongues ; but 
it was not the miracle; it was the truth applied to the 
heart by the Spirit, which effected the great and sudden. 
change ;—the miracle made them mwonder,—the mira- 
cle prompted some to mock, saying, “ These men are 
full of new wine ;” but it was the truth that pricked 
their hearts, and led them to inquire, “ Men and 
brethren, what must we do?” and it was the truth 
which converted them, when they ‘“ gladly received 
the Word ;” so that the real cause of their conversion 
was the gracious internal operation of the Spirit, 
whereby “ he opened their eyes, and turned them from 
darkness ‘to light, and from the power of Satan unto 
God.” And that same agency which was put forth 
on the day of Pentecost, is continued with the Chris- 


tian Church, and is in fact exerted in its enlightening, 
’ 4 


convincing, and saving power, on the mind and heart 
of every sinner who is, or ever will be, converted and 
saved. And if, in the primitive Church, the Spirit 
was pleased to exert his agency in various ways,— 


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392 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


sometimes calling individuals singly, and adding 
them one by one to the fellowship of the Church, as 
in the case of Lydia, and Paul, and the gaoler at 
Philippi; and at: other times awakening a multitude 
at once, as in the case of the three thousand on the 
day of Pentecost,—it is not unreasonable to expect that 
there may be a_ similar diversity in the mode of his 
operation in modern times, and that, if he be pleased 
ordinarily to bless a stated ministry for, the gradual 
gathering in of his sheep, he may occasionally, when 
it seems meet to his infinite wisdom, effect a more 
sudden and general awakening. 

The sudden and simultaneous conversion of many 
souls, and the daily and gradual increase of . the 
Church by successive single additions to their‘num- 
ber, are both mentioned in the narrative; for after re- 
cording the conversion of the three thousand, it is said, 
“ And the Lord added unto the Church datiy such 
as should be saved.” 

But in considering the result of this memorable 
work of grace, we must take into view not merely the 
numbers who were converted, but also the subsequent 
life and habits of the converts. They underwent a 
complete and permanent change of mind and heart,— 
a change so great that they might well be called “new 
creatures, in whom old things had passed away, and 
all things had become new ;” for, in the short but 
comprehensive narrative before us, several expressions 
occur which will be found, when considered atten- 
tively, to exhibit a beautiful exemplification of the 
nature and magnitude of that change, and the peace- 


CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST. 393 


able fruits of righteousness which invariably spring 
from it. 

Their change properly consisted in their believing 
“the truth as it is in Jesus ;” for it is said, that after' “ 
Peter’s sermon, “They that gladly received his word 
were baptized,”—clearly intimating, that faith in the 
divine testimony concerning Christ was the turning 
point of their conversion, and their qualification for 
being recognised and admitted as members, of the 
Christian Church. Formerly they were unbelievers 
——they had rejected, condemned, and crucified the 
Lord of glory ; because, through blind ignorance, and 3 
inveterate prejudice, they refused to receive him as ee 
“‘ the Messiah that had been promised to the fathers,” 
and therefore concluded, that as a deceiver of the 
people he was “ worthy of death ;” but now, convinced 
by the apostle’s testimony, and the concurrent -attes- 
tation of God in the miraculous gift of tongues,—they 
believed that the “same Jesus whom they had cru- # 
cified was both Lorp and Curist,” and, instructed in 
the gracious message which he had commissioned his 
apostles to proclaim, even the message of ‘‘ repentance 
and remission of sin,” they gladly received it as the 
very Gospel of their salvation, and glad tidings of great 
joy,—thereby evincing their deep conviction of sin and 
danger, and, at the same time, their self-application of 4 
the Gospel, as a message sent from God unto them. ~ 
And by this simple faith they entered on a new spiri- 
tual state, for ‘‘whoso believeth that Jesus is the 
Christ,” and a Christ to him, ‘is born of God.” 

But this faith was productive of much fruit ; it was 

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394. ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


not the inert speculative faith of which the apostle 
James speaks when he says, ‘“ It is dead being alone,” 
nor was their gladness in receiving the word like the 
evanescent excitement of those “ who hear the word, 
and anon with joy receive it, but have no root in 
themselves, and dure only for a while.” On the con- 
trary, the good seed of the word, well rooted in their 
hearts, sprung up and produced fruit in their lives ; 
for they ‘“ continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doc- 
trine and fellowship, and.in breaking of bread, and in 
prayers,”—‘ and continuing daily with one accord in 
the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, 


did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of 


heart, Ce God, and ae favour with, all the 
people.” 

The continuance of their Preligious impressions, the 
constancy of their profession, and their perseverance 
and advancement in the Christian course, are here 
specially mentioned, along with their diligent use of 
all the means of grace, as marks of the genuine nature 


\ of that change which they had so suddenly expe- 


rienced; and this should be seriously considered by 
all, but especially by those who are conscious of having 
been occasionally impressed by divine truth, and who 
may be able to remember some seasons when they 
were deeply affected by it, while, notwithstanding, 
there is no evidence of a permanent change, and no 
symptom of growing advancement. Of the three 
classes of unproductive hearers mentioned by our 
Lord himself, two are represented as experiencing 
some transitory and evanescent change of feeling ; for 


CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST. 395 


“he that received the seed into stony places,” is re- 
presented as “ hearing the word, and anon with 
joy receiving it; but having no root in himself, he 
dureth for a while; and when tribulation or perse- 
cution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is 
offended.” And he also that received seed among the 
thorns, is represented as “ hearing the word ; but the 
cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, 
choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.” Oc- 
casional impressions, and transitory emotions, are not 
enough; many have perished in their sins who were 
often and deeply impressed, and the Lord himself has 
forewarned us that he, and he only, “that endureth to 
the end shall be saved.” ‘This is the first feature of 
genuine conversion which is here represented to us,—I 
mean the permanent and abiding power of religious 
principle in the heart. 


Another feature of their case is the public profes- ~ 


sion which they made of their faith in Christ, and 
obedience to him, by submitting to be baptized in his 
name. This profession they made in very trying cir- 
cumstances; for not only did their baptism amount to 
a confession that the same Jesus whom they had cru- 
cified as a malefactor, was indeed the Lord of glory ; 
and a virtual acknowledgment of their own guilt, and 
the guilt of their rulers in condemning him to death ; 
but it pledged them to the maintenance and defence 
of his cause in a city where there were many scof- 
fers, and at a time when they had reason to ap- 
prehend. the most bitter opposition and trial. Yet in 
the very streets of Jerusalem which had resounded 


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396 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES, 


with the fearful cry, Crucify him, crucify him! a ery 
which their voices had helped to raise, they now con- 
sent to be publicly baptized in his name ; and this con- 
sideration also deserves to be seriously weighed by those 
who are prevented by shame or fear from avouching 
Christ as their Lord, along with his own solemn decla- 
ration, “‘ Whosoéver shall be ashamed of me, and of my 
words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him 


also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh 


in the glory of his Father with his holy angels.” 

Another interesting feature of their character, is 
their steady desire for instruction, and their regular 
attendance on ordinances. Jn the case of young con- 
verts, especially when their conversion has been sud- 
denly effected, and accompanied with remarkable 
manifestations of divine power, there has sometimes 
been observed a presumptuous neglect of the ordinary 
means of grace, and & disrelish for the common exer- 
cises of Christian worship ; and this, whether it pro- 
ceeds from undue excitement, or from spiritual pride, 
is alike injurious to their own peace, and to the com- 
fort of their fellow-disciples. . How different the spirit 
and conduct of the primitive disciples, converted as 
they had been by the preaching of inspired apostles, and 
in circumstances which evinced the signal interposi- 


_ tion of God ;—they neither felt as if they had no more 


need of instruction, nor as if they were independent of 
the common. ordinances of the Church: “ They con- 
tinued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellow- 
ship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers,’— 
uniting with all who professed the same faith, and 


>, 


CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST. 397 


sharing with them in the usual exercises by which the 
glory of God was promoted, and the edification of the 
Church advanced. They continued “in the apostles’ 
doctrine,’ listening to their instructions, and adhering 
to the faith as it was taught by them,—and “in the 
apostles’ fellowship,’ not separating themselves, but 
preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, 
—in breaking of bread, uniting with their fellow- 


disciples in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper,—and 
in the secret and social exercise of prayer and praise. - 


Another interesting feature of their case, is the spirit 
of brotherly love and mutual charity which then pre- 
vailed in the Church at Jerusalem, Faith worketh 
by love,—love being the sum of God’s law, and the 
substance of all acceptable obedience. And most 
beautifully is the operation of faith, in producing a 
spirit of love, exemplified in the case before us. It is 
said, “ And all that believed were together, and had 
all things common, and sold their possessions and 
goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had 
need.” There was no law to this effect: it was the 
spontaneous fruit of their love to Christ, and to each 
other,—prompted probably by the consideration, that 
many among them were strangers at Jerusalem, and 
needed the accommodations and supplies which their 
wealthier brethren could afford. The apostles never 
sought to abrogate the right of property, or to incul- 
cate the duty of having all things in common, as has 
sometimes been supposed, and more recently main- 
tained, by a class of men calling themselves Socialists, 
who maintain that the three cardinal evils of society, 


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398 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


in modern times, are—the belief in a God, the institu. 
tion of marriage, and the right of private property ; 
and who propose to abolish and sweep them all away, 
in order to introduce a new social—a new moral world, 
in which religion shall be exchanged for Atheism) and 
marriage for indiscriminate licence, and all personal 
rights for a community of goods. These horrible prin- 
ciples—fast spreading, we fear, amongst the neglected 
and uneducated poor, and undermining the foundations 
of our oldest and most revered institutions—are so flag- 
rantly opposed to the truths of the Bible, that so long 
as the Bible is believed, they must be repudiated and 
condemned. But, anxious to avail themselves of any 
seeming support which they may draw from the sacred 
volume, some have not hesitated to represent that part 
of their system, which consists in the abolition of pri- 
vate property,.and the institution of a community of 
goods, as being exemplified in the case of the primi- 
tive Christians, who, after the day of Pentecost, “had 
all things common, and sold their possessions and 
goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had 
need.” But that the apostles did not mean to abro- 
gate the rights of property, is clear, from its being 
expressly said, that they sold their goods, thereby con- 
veying to others the right which they had previously 
possessed ; and that they were not constrained by any 
imperative rule to part with them even for this pur- 
pose, appears from the case of Ananias and Sapphira, 
to whom Peter said, «« Why hath Satan filled thine heart ° 
to he to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the 
price of the land ? Whiles it remained, was it not thine 


i 


CONVERSIONS AT) PENTECOST. 399 


own 2 and after it was sold, Was it not in thine own 
power ?”—clearly intimating, that there was no such 
community of goods among them as is now contended 
for, and no constraint on the exercise of their charity. 
But this only shows the more clearly the fervour and 
the strength of that disinterested. love which prompted 
them, of their own accord, to sacrifice their wealth for 
the support and comfort of their poorer brethren, and 
exhibits to usa beautiful example of self-denying cha- 
rity, which it were well for us to imitate ; so that now 
as then, the world might be constrained to say, “ Be- 
hold these Christians, how they love one another!” 
But why was there so. much love in the infant Church 
at Jerusalem? Our Lord explains the reason, when 
speaking of the “ woman that was a sinner from the 
city, who stood at. his feet behind him weeping, and 
began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them 
with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and 
anointed them with ointment,” he said,“ Her sins, 
which were many, are forgiven her, for she loved 
much ; but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth 
little? The three thousand who were converted on 
the day of Pentecost, were chargeable with the great 
sin of erucifying the Son of God: they had much for- 
given them ; and, according to the principle explained 
by the Lord, they loved much: there being no such 
instance of human love recorded in the whole Bible as 
that of the Church at J erusalem,which was composed 
of men stained with the blood of Jesus, and by that 
same blood washed from their sins ! 


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400 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


Another feature in their case was, the consistency 
of their conduct and the beauty of their example, 
which produced a deep impression on the public mind, 
and one that was, in no small degree, favourable to 
the cause of the Gospel. “ And they, continuing daily 
with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread 
from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness 
and singleness of heart, praising God, and having 
favour with all the people. And the Lord added to 
the Church daily such as should be saved.” We are 
here taught to consider their consistent, and cheerful, 
and devoted conduct, as a means of conciliating the 
favour of the people, and promoting the success of the 
Gospel itself; and their mutual concord and happy fel- 
lowship together, are specially noticed as conducive to 
this effect. Oh! would to God that we enjoyed the 
same concord, and were imbued with the same spirit; 
and that all the sincere disciples of Christ could live 
together in unity; then might we hope that our faith 
and love, and catholic union, would produce a favour- 
able impression on the public mind ;—not that the 
world’s enmity would be destroyed; for, notwithstand- 
ing the favour with which the primitive Church was, 
for a time, regarded, that enmity soon broke out in 
open persecution, and it is impossible to conciliate the 
world, until the world is itself converted : but the ab- 
sence of all strife and divisions, and the prevalence of 
love and peace in the Church itself, would give it a 
favourable opportunity of directing its whole energies 
to the conversion of the world; while the exhibition 


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CONVERSIONS AT PENTECOST. 401 


of all Christian graces on the part of Christ’s people 
would make its own impression on the mind of every 
spectator,—for thus it was at the first: “fear came 
upon every soul ;” and “ they had favour with all the 
people;” “ and the Lord added to the Church daily 
such as should be saved.” 


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CHAPTER IX. 


=a _ REVIVALS. 


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Acts xxi. 21. 


TuE greatest work that is going on in the world, is 


that of the conversion of sinners, and the edification of. 


saints. 

Sometimes this work proceeds slowly and silently 
under the stated ministry of the Word; one after an- 
other being secretly impressed with the power of divine 
truth, and taken under the teaching of God's Spirit, 
and “ built up in faith, and holiness, and comfort unto 
eternal life.” At other times, it is accomplished in a 
more extraordinary and remarkable way; vast num- 
bers being brought suddenly under the power of divine 
truth, and exhibiting, in a striking manner, the effects 
of divine grace. 

We have been so much accustomed to look to the 
more slow, and quiet, and gradual method of main- 
taining and extending the kingdom of Christ, that we 
are apt to be startled, and even to listen with some 
degree of incredulous surprise, when we hear of any 


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| REVIVALS. - 403 


sudden and general work of the Spirit of God,—nay, 


we cease even to expect and to pray for any more 


remarkable, or more rapid change in the state of the 


Church and world, than what is usually observed un- 


dersa regular ministry. + 
But “God’s ways are not as our ways, neither are 


2? 


his thoughts as our thoughts ;” and often, i in the his- 


tory of his Church, has he been pleased, for wise 


reasons, to manifest his grace and power in a ver ry eX: 
traordinary and remarkable manner; partly to awaker 
and arouse a slumbering Church 3 partly also, to : alarm 


and convince gainsayers; and, most of all, to Zeheh . 


them at once the sovereignty and the power of that 
grace which they are too prone to despise. 

When any real revival of the power of true religion 
takes place in any country, however local and tempo- 
rary, provided only that some immortal souls are 
thereby savingly converted, we have reason to know 
that such an event, however it may be ridiculed by 
the world, is the occasion of joy to the angels in the 
upper sanctuary, and also of unmingled satisfaction to 
the Redeemer himself. If we have any thing of the 
same spirit, such an event will be an occasion of joy 
to ourselves, and is fitted, indeed, in many ways, to 
confirm our wavering faith, to animate our flagging 
zeal, to add energy to our lukewarm prayers, and 
strength to our languid hopes. Wherever God’s power 
and glory are remarkably displayed, it is alike the 
duty and the privilege of his Church to behold and 
adore it; and surely, if it ‘be the ground of much 
rejoicing among the angels before the throne, it should 


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404. ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


also engage the praises of the Christian brotherhood 
on earth.” | 

The Bible speaks of “times of refreshing from the 
presence of the Lord”—seasons of remarkable revival 
which should occur long after the days of the apostles ; 
and it records: several memorable examples which 
occurred both under the Old and the New Testament 
dispensations ; to which we may briefly advert, with 
the view of showing that such revivals are pa: 
recognised 1 in the Word of God. 2 

‘It is probable that, when it is said of those Hit 
lived in the days of Seth, “Then began men to call 
upon the name of the Lord,” there is an allusion to 
some general revival of religion which occurred before 
the deluge. But we have a more particular account 
of a very general and remarkable revival in the times 
of Joshua. Of the whole generation which entered 
with him into the promised land, we read—“ The 
people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all 
the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had 
seen all the great works of the Lord, that he did for 
Israel.” But when “ all that generation were gathered 
unto their fathers, there arose another generation after 
them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works 
which he had done for Israel: and the children of 
Israel did evil in the sight. of the Lord.” Several cir- 
cumstances are recorded in the sacred narrative, which 
show, that under the ministry of Joshua there was a 
very deep spirit of earnest religion among the people, 
and that it exerted a wide and extensive influence. 
The nation acted as one man, and in a spirit of 


REVIVALS. 405 


devoted piety, when “ the whole congregation of 
the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, 

and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there ; 

and the land was subdued before them.” fA 
when “ all Israel, and their elders, and officers and 
judges stood on this side the ark and on that side,” 
while “ Joshua read all the words of the law, the 
blessings and cursings, according to all that is written 
in the book of the law; there was not a word of all 
that Moses commanded which Joshua read not before 
all the congregation of Israel, with the women and 
the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant 
among them ;” and so when “ all Israel stoned Achan 
with stones, and burned him with fire, for his trespass 
in the accursed thing ;” and when “ the whole con- 
gregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves 
together to Shiloh,” to go up to war against the two 
tribes and a half, on the first suspicion of their falling 
into idolatry. Such a general and lively zeal on be- 
half of God’s service indicates a deep and _ prevailing 
sense of religion; and it is interesting to reflect on 
the means by which this had been produced. We 
are told that the Israelites who came out of Egypt 
with Moses were a stiff-necked and rebellious people ; 
but none of these, excepting Joshua and Caleb, en- 
tered into the promised land: they all died in the 
wilderness; and it was their children—children born 
and bred in the wilderness—who afterwards exhibited 
so much of the power of religion on their hearts; 
and their religious earnestness and zeal may be ascribed 
to three things: first, that they had seen the wonder- 


406 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


ful works of the Lord, the miracles which he wrought 
in the wilderness, and the remarkable fulfilment of 
his word : secondly, that, from-their earliest years, they 
had received a wilderness education,—heing trained 
from their childhood in hardships and trials, which 
taught them their entire dependence on God, and the 
duty of an absolute submission to his sovereign will ; 
thirdly, that they had heard the reading of God’s law, 
and were acquainted with its glorious truths. These 
were suitable and appropriate means ; but the experi- 
ence of their fathers shows, that, of themselves, nei- 
ther the hardships nor the miracles of the wilderness 
would have produced true religion ;—that depends on 
the blessing of the Spirit of God. . 

Another remarkable season of the revival of true 
religion occurs in the history of the Kings. When 
Shaphan read the book of the law before Josiah, “ It 
came to pass, when the king had heard the words of 
the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. -And 
the king commanded the priests and scribes, and other 
officers—Go ye, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the 
people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this 
book which is found: for great is the wrath of the 
Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers 
have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to 
do according unto all that which is written concerning 
us.” ‘The king’s concern for his people was: now re- 
markably displayed: he knew that they were exposed 
to God's wrath, and dreaded-the judgments with which 
they were threatened. And forthwith “Hesent and 
gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jeru- 


REVIVALS. _ 407 


salem. And the king went up into the house of the 
Lord, and all the men of Judah, and all the inhabi- 
tants of Jerusalem with him,.and the priests, and the 
prophets, and all the people, both small and great: 
and he read in their ears all the words of the book of 
the covenant which was found in the house of the 
Lord. And the king stood by a pillar, and made a 
covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and 
to keep his commandments and his testimonies and 
his statutes, with all their heart and all their soul, 
to perform the words of this covenant that were writ- 
ten in this book. And all the people stood to the 
covenant.” Then followed a great national reforma- 
tion ;—as we read, in the sequel of the same chapter, 
the vessels that had been made for Baal and the host 
of heaven were burnt; idolatrous priests were sup- 
pressed ; the houses of the Sodomites were broken 
down; Tophet, in which children were made to pass 
through the fire to Molech, was defiled ; the horses 
and chariots which had been given to the service of 
the Sun, were taken away or destroyed ; the idolatrous 
altars of the kings of Judah were overthrown; the 
high places which Solomon had built were not spared ; 
the images were broken in pieces, and the groves cut 
down; Jeroboam’s altar at Bethel was overturned ; 
the offending priests were cut off, according to. the 
national law ;—and then there followed a great con- 
vocation—a solemn general assembly to keep the 
Passover—of which it is said; ‘“ Surely there was not. 
holden such a Passover from the days of the Judges 
that judged Isracl, nor in all the days of the kings of 


408 ' ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


Israel, nor of the kings of Judah.” And of Josiah 
himself it is said, ‘Like unto him was there no king 
before him, that turned unto the Lord with all his 
heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, 
according to all the law of Moses; neither after him 
arose there any like him.” : 

Some other similar instances of a revival of the 
power of religion among the people of Israel might 
be mentioned: such as that which took place under 
king Asa, and that also under king Hezekiah; and 
the remarkable change that was wrought on the hearts 
of the captives at Babylon, and by which they were 
prepared for their restoration to their own land,—a 
change which occurred chiefly amongst the younger 
Jews who were left, since their fathers: had died in 
captivity,—just as formerly the young generation were 
impressed in the wilderness,—and of which Ezra says, 
“* Now for a little space grace hath been showed from 
the Lord our God; to leave us a remnant to escape, 
and to give us a nail in his holy place; that our 
God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving 
in our bondage.” And there are many passages in 
the Old Testament (Psal. Ixxxv.; cii. 13-22) which 
are beautifully descriptive of the spiritual revivals 
which occurred from time to time under the Jewish 
dispensation. 

In many other passages of the Old Testament (Isa. 
hh. 7; liv, 1-5; Ezek. xxxvi. 25; Hos. xiv. 4; Joel ii. 
28) we find predictions of great and general revivals 
of religion, which should occur under the new and 
better dispensation to which the faith of the Jewish 


os © « 


REVIVALS, v2 409 


Church looked forward. And ‘aecor ingly, in the 
New Testament, we read the authenti ‘ie account of the 
most remarkable revival of true religion that has ever 
occurred in the history of the world. It was, as it 
were “life from the dead.” A new impulse was then 
given to the world, the force of which is felt, and its 
effects witnessed, at the present day. It was not a 
new religion that was then introduced, but a comple- 
tion of that which had been revealed from the begin- 
ning,—the visible fulfilment of God’s word of promise, 
eat a clearer manifestation of his grace and truth. 
Amidst the general defection of the Jewish Church 
and nation, there were some hidden ones, who cherish- 
ed a sincere and devoted piety, and waited for the 
hope and consolation of Israel; and these were re- 
vived and refreshed by the ministry of John the Bap- 
tist, and still more by the manifestation of the Son of 
God. Multitudes of careless sinners were converted ; 
and although the work might have seemed to be sus- 
pended by the crucifixion of the Lord of glory, that 
event only prepared the way for a more remarkable 
outpouring of the Spirit of God, and a more general 
awakening among the nations. Jews and Gentiles, 
—men of all nations and of various languages, were 
suddenly arrested, convinced, converted, and became 
Christian missionaries to spread the glorious Gospel 
over the whole world. No sooner had the Spirit of 
God descended in his miraculous gifts on the apostles, 
than he descended also in his saving grace on. their 
hearers—insomuch, that on the day of Pentecost, three 
thousand souls were converted by @ single sermon. 


pd 


410 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


Oh! let those who doubt the power of God’s Word 
and Spirit, or who are conscious of a latent jealousy 
and distrust respecting any remarkable and sudden 
work of conversion, consider that case which stands 
recorded in the Word of God, and let them hsten 
to the question of the prophet — “Oh! thou that 
art named the -house of Jacob; is the Spirit of the 
Lord straitened ?”—‘‘1Is his hand shortened, that it 
cannot save; is his ear heavy, that it cannot hear?” 
Nor is the great work of conversion on the day of 
Pentecost a solitary instance in the New Testament ; 

great multitudes believed in other places—the Lord 
«added to-the Church daily such as should be saved ;” 
and in Athens, and Rome, and Corinth; in Galatia, 


Asia, Cappadocia, and Bithynia; in places the most 
‘rude, and the most refined,—the preaching of the 


apostles was mighty through God, and was felt to be 
the power of God and the mae of God unto salva- 
tion. Follow one of the apostles through the various 
scenes of his labours,—trace his course on the deep, 
and his journeys by land,—suppose yourself to be 
a companion of Paul, and a witness of the scenes 
which he saw, of the converts whom he gathered, 
and the churches which he founded, and which long 
existed as monuments and memorials of his successful 
labours,—and say, could you then doubt that the 
preaching of the Gospel, accompanied by the power 
of the Spirit, is sufficient to revolutionize the world— 
to overturn the kingdom of darkness, and to erect on 
its ruins that kingdom of God which consists in 
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost? 


REVIVALS. | 41} 


While such was the experience of the Church of 
God, both under the Old and the New Testament 
dispensations, it remains to inquire how far we are 
entitled to expect the same, or similar results, from the 
preaching of the Gospel in modern times, It might 
seem, that being far removed from the age of miracles, 
and being left, in so far as the use of means is con- 
cerned, to depend on the mere preaching of the Word, 
it would be unreasonable, if not presumptuous, in us 
to anticipate any such remarkable success as attended 
' the preaching of the apostles on the day of Pentecost. 
Yet there are some weighty considerations, applicable 
to this question, which may serve to abate the sup- 
posed improbability of such an expectation. In the 


first place, there are many prophecies which predict, # 3 
many promises which imsure, the progressive ad- 
vancement and oe ultimate universality of the Gos: ~~ 


pel: “ Ask of me,” says the Father to his beloved Son, 
“and I will give thee the heathen for thine heritage, 
and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy posses. 
sion.” —“ In thee, and in thy seed,” said he to Abra- 
ham, “shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” 
—‘* There shall be an handful of corn in the earth 
upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall 
shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish. 
like grass of the earth. His name shall endure for 
ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun. ; 
and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall cali 
him blessed.”’—“ The earth shall be filled with the 
knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” 
—~‘ For I would not, brethren, that ye should be igno- 


pRig Xa 


2 


12 ILLUSTRATIVE CAsgEs. 


rant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in. your 
own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to 
Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 
And so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, There 
shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn 
away ungodliness from Jacob.” These passages, which 
declare the progressive advancement, and insure the 
ultimate universality of the Gospel, imply that the 
work of conversion is to be carried on in the Church 
of Christ,—a work which is to be accomplished in- 
strumentally by the preaching of the Gospel, applied 
with power to the heart and conscience by the direct 
operation of the Holy Ghost. Every soul that is suc- 
cessively added to the Church of such as shall be 
saved, must be enlightened, convinced, subdued, and 
converted, by precisely the same agency which was 
put forth on the day of Pentecost.. If the Gospel, 
even when it was declared by inspired men, and ac- 
companied with the signs of God’s miraculous inter- 
position, depended, for its converting power and its 
saving efficacy, on the grace of that divine Spirit who 
“‘ divideth to every man severally as he will,” how 
much more now, when it is proclaimed by men alike 
destitute of the light of inspiration and the power of 
miracles 7 

That the gracious operation of the Spirit of God 
was to be continued with the Christian Church, and 


* to be effectual to the end of time for the conversion 


of sinners and the sanctification of his people, is 
matter both of prediction and of promise. Many are 


apt to suppose, that because the miraculous gifts of 


REVIVALS, | 


tongues, and healing, and prophecy, have long since 
ceased in the Christian Church, the agency of the 
Spirit of God has been discontinued,—forgetting, that 
what is in reality the most valuable part of the Spirit's 
work is permanent, and will be carried on till the end 
of time. The work of conversion, by which sinners 
are turned from darkness to light, and the work of 
sanctification, by which they are gradually prepared 
for glory, is as much the fruit of the Spirit as was the 
inspiration of the apostles; and these must be con- 
tinued, until the whole company of the redeemed 
shall have been gathered in from among all people, 
and tongues, and nations. So far from having dis- 
continued his gracious agency, the Spirit of God is at 
work in every congregation—in every soul that is 
deriving spiritual benefit from his Word ; ‘and we live 
in these latter times under a dispensation which is 
emphatically “the ministration of the Spirit.” Before 
the miraculous gifts of the Spirit were bestowed on 
the day of Pentecost, his agency, as the Sanctifier of 
God's people, was felt in the Church, and acknow- 
ledged by the sacred writers of the Old Testament. 
And surely, if He was known in his enlightening and 
sanctifying influence by the Old Testament Church, 
it cannot be supposed that the Church under a new 
and better dispensation will be deprived of his gra- 
cious presence; especially when we find that one of 
the greatest blessings that were predicted and promised 
to the Church in later times, was an outpouring of 
the Holy Spirit. Referring to New Testament times, 
Isaiah says, ‘‘ The palaces shall be forsaken,”—“ until 


%\ 


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# 


414 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


the Spirit be poured out upon us from on high ;”— 
and Joel, “ I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh ;” 
—which is expressly applied to the New Testament 
Church in the Acts of the Apostles: and accordingly 
the sacred writers in all their epistles refer to the ordi- 
nary gracious work of the Spirit as a matter of experi- 
ence with every.true believer,even with such as had no 
miraculous gifts. It was their prayer for all believers, 
that “the communion of the Holy Ghost,” not less 
than “ the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love 
of God,” should be with them all; nay, it is solemnly 
declared that every one that should be converted to 
the end of time, must be converted by the Spirit—that 
every soul that should be born again, should be born 
of the Spirit; and to say, then, that the gracious ope- 
rations of the Spirit'of God, have ceased in the Chris- 
tian Church, were virtually to declare, that the work 
of conversion is finished,—that the gate of heaven is 
now closed,—that not one soul can now be added to 
the Church of such as shall be saved; for it is clear, 
that “ except.a man be born again, he cannot enter 
into the kingdom of God ;” and itis equally clear, that 
if he be born again, he must be “ born of the Spirit.” 
_ The renewing and sanctifying agency of the Spirit 
of God, then, has not ceased in the Christian Church ; 
nor will it ever cease until the last convert has been 
won—the last penitent restored. The continued 
agency of the Spirit of God in the Church, under the 
present dispensation, which is emphatically called 
‘the ministration of the Spirit,” is a doctrine which 
teaches us to expect great results from the faithful 


REVIVALS, 4l5 


preaching of the Gospel ; and is, in fact, the sheet- 
anchor of the Gospel ministry,—their sole encourage- 
ment to persevere in the otherwise hopeless effort to 
evangelize and regenerate the world. Take away the 
grace of the Holy Spirit,—expunge those passages 
from the Bible which contain the promise of his 
enlightening, renewing, and converting grace,—and 
then you leave us with none but natural means to 
accomplish a supernatural work,—you leave us, by 
our mere persuasion and importunity, to convert en- 
mity into love, to quicken the dead to-life, to raise a 
fallen world to heaven,—then, indeed, our hopes were 
enthusiastic, our expectations visionary, our aims abor- 
tive ;—but leave with us the promise which God has 
given; grant that the Gospel is an instrument in his 
hands, and that the Holy Spirit is the ever living and 
ever active teacher and sanetifier of souls,—then, in 
the strength of this truth, we can face all difficulties 
and rise above all discouragement; and stand un- 
moved amidst the mockery of the world; and preach 
the Gospel with confidence of ultimate success, both to 
Greek and barbarian—to savage and to civilized men; 
for the Gospel is adapted to every human heart, and 
the Spirit of God has power to make it effectual, and 
the promise stands on record for ever—* He will give 
the Spirit to them that ask him.” 

It being admitted, then, that the real and active 
agency of the Spirit of God for the conversion of souls 
may reasonably be expected in the Christian Church, 
the only question which remains to be considered is,— 
whether that divine agent will always act in one uni- 


ae 


- = 
~~ 
Py 
416 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


form method, quietly and gradually extending the 
kingdom of Christ by the successive conversion of 
individual sinners, as he is wont for the most part to 
do: or whether he may not, for wise reasons, and in 
the exercise of that sovereignty which belongs to him, 
act occasionally in a more extraordinary and remark- 
able way, turning multitudes at once, and, perhaps, 
suddenly, from darkness to light, and bringing about 
a general revival of the power of religion in particular 
places and congregations? In other words, may we 
reasonably believe and expect that the Spirit of God 
will occasionally produce a remarkable religious re- 
vival 2 | 

That we may proceed to the calm and impartial 
consideration of this question, it may be useful, first 
of all, to obviate and remove some prejudices which 
might either prevent us from entertaining it at all, or 
unfit us for deciding it aright. 

It is of great importance to form a clear and defi- 
nite idea of what is meant by a revival of religion: it 
properly consists in these two things,—a general im- 
partation of new life, and vigour, and power, to those 
who are already of the number of God's people ; and 


a remarkable awakening and conversion of souls who 


have hitherto been careless and unbelieving ; in other 
words, it consists in new spiritual life imparted to 
the dead, and in new spiritual health imparted to the 
living. 

A revival properly consists in one or both of these 
two things—a revived state of religion among the 
members of the Church, and the increase of their 


oe 


REVIVALS. 417 


number by the addition of souls converted to God. 
Can it be doubted by any professing Christian, either 
that such a revival is possible, or that it is desir- 
able? Why, what is the end of the Gospel ministry ? 
What the great design of our Sabbaths and our sanc- 
tuaries? What the purport of all Gospel promises in 
reference to the kingdom of grace? . Is it not, that 
such souls as have heretofore “been dead in tres- 
passes and sins,” may be quickened into spiritual life? 
and that such souls as have already been quickened 
into life, may grow in spiritual health and vigour, 
and be revived and restored when they have fallen 
into declension and decay? Do we not all pray for 
these things? And is it not our privilege to expect, 
that for these things our prayers will be heard and 
answered ¢ ; 

The simultaneous conversion of many souls, and 
the increasing power of true religion in the hearts of 
God’s people, are the constituent elements of a religi- 
ous revival; and these two effects of the Spirit’s grace, 
while they may be wrought separately, are neverthe- 
less found, when they are wrought together, to exert 
a powerful reciprocal influence on each other. Some- 
times, under a Gospel ministry, the faith, and love, 
and zeal of a Christian Church are revived and 
strengthened, without being immediately accompanied 
with any remarkable awakening of careless sinners ; at 
other times, many successive conversions are wrought 
one after another, while the general tone of Christian 
piety is not observably raised or strengthened ; but 
when at one and the same time, believers are invigo- 


a. e+ 


A418 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


rated with new strength, and many careless sinners 
are converted, there is a powerful reciprocal influence 
exerted on each by the experience of the other. De- 
caying and backsliding Christians are aroused and 
reclaimed, when they see God’s power exerted in the 
conversion of sinners; they feel that there is a reality 
and a vital energy in God's truth,—that Christ lives 
and reigns,—that the Spirit is still present with the 
Church; and they are excited to greater earnestness 
in prayer, to greater devotedness of heart, to greater 
holiness of life; while their reawakened zeal, and 
‘their fervent prayers, fit them for exerting a holier 
influence over others, and” may be the means of add- 
ing many to the Church of such as shall be saved. 
Thus it was on the day of Pentecost; on that re- 
markable occasion, it is recorded, “ That fear came 
upon every soul,” and the result was, that * the Lord 
added to the Church daily such as should be saved.” 
It is of great practical importance to observe, that 
the work of the Spirit on the soul of every individual 
convert, is substantially the same with that which 
takes place—but only on a ‘more extended scale—in 
a general revival of religion. When many are sud- 


‘= 


. 


denly arrested and convinced—when conversions take 
place in large numbers, and are attended with re- 
markable circumstances, the work of the Spirit attracts 
more of public attention, and produces a larger mea- 
sure of excitement; but, substantially, it is the self- 
same work, which has often been- carried on, in 
silence, in the secret chamber, in the retired recesses 
of the heart,—when one poor sinner in a congregation 


REVIVALS. 419 


has been singled out from a multitude of careless pro- 
fessors, and made the subject of a saving change. _ It 
matters not whether a man passes from death unto life 
in solitude or in society,—whether he ventures alone to 
the mercy-seat, or is accompanied thither by a multi- 
tude of earnest suppliants,—whether the light of 
heaven shines in upon his soul, leaving others in dark- 
ness, or shines, at the same time, into the hearts of 
thousands more. The same change which was wrought 
on the three thousand converts of Pentecost, passed 
also on the spirit of Lydia, when she worshipped with 
a few other women by the river side; and on the 
spirit of the Philippian gaoler, when he stood alone 
with the apostles. One may be converted at a time, 
or many; but the work of conversion is the same in 
all. Every soul, in a- general revival, must be en- 
lightened by divine truth, and awakened to concern 
about its salyation—and melted into godly sorrow for 
sin—and stirred up to lay hold on Christ and his free 
salvation—and imbued with new views, new aftec- 
tions, new desires, new tastes, new hopes, new habits ; 
in a word, every such soul as passes from death unto 
life, in a season “of general awakening, must pass 
through the same general experience, which, on other 
occasions, is realized by the solitary inquirer, when, 
in his secret chamber, he thinks, and repents, and 
believes, and prays, and enters into peace with God. 

No: one, therefore, who has experienced that great 
change in his own soul—who has known what it is 
to be awakened to concern about his own salvation— 
who has wept and prayed in secret, and earnestly read 


a es 


420 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


his Bible, and has drunk in the precious truths of the 
Gospel—ought to feel any jealousy concerning a gene- 
ral revival of true religion ; on the contrary, he should 
regard it with such feelings as befit the occasion,— 
the feeling of hope and expectation, that some great 
good will be accomplished,—the feeling of gratitude 
and joy, that new manifestations and proofs of the 
Saviour’s power are vouchsafed,—and the feeling of 
solemn awe, arising from the thought, that God is in- 
terposing—that immortal souls are being born again, 
—and that these souls are now undergoing all that 
solemn conviction, and feeling all those anxious fears, 
and impressed with all those awful views of God and 
judgment and eternity, which he himself had expe- 
rienced, when he first repented, and wept, and prayed, 
and wrestled for his own salvation, 

The Holy Spirit is not limited to any one mode of 
operation in the execution of his glorious work; and 


\ his sovereignty ought ever to be remembered when 


we are considering a subject of this nature. It has, 
unfortunately, been, too much overlooked, when, on 
the one hand, some have insisted, as we think, with 
undue partiality and confidence, on a general and 
remarkable revival, as being in itself the best manifes- 


‘tation of the Spirit’s grace, and as being, in all cases, a 


matter of promise to believing prayer; and when, on 
the other hand, not a few have looked to the quiet 


and gradual success of the Gospel ministry, to the 


exclusion, or at least disparagement, of any more sud- 
den and remarkable work of grace. The former have 
given a too exclusive preference to what is extraor- 


‘eg 


REVIVALS. 421 


dinary and striking; while the latter have fallen into 
the opposite error, of preferring what is more usual 
and quiet. .We think it were better to admit of both 
methods of conversion, and to leave the choice to the 
sovereign wisdom and grace of the Spirit. It is equally 
possible for him to convert souls successively or simul- 
taneously: and, in adopting either course, doubtless 
he has wise ends in view. We have no sympathy 
with those who, overlooking the steady progress of the 
great work of conversion under a stated ministry, make 
no account of the multitudes who are added, one by 


one, to the Church of the living God, merely because 


their conyersion has not been attended with the out- 
ward manifestations of a great. religious revival; nor 
can we agree with them in thinking, that the Church 
has any sure warrant to expect that the Spirit will be 
bestowed, in every instance, in that particular way. 
But as little have we any sympathy with those who, 
rejecting all revivals as unscriptural delusions, pro- 
fess to look exclusively to the gradual progress of 
divine truth, and the slow advance of individual con- 
version under a stated ministry. Both methods—the 
simultaneous, and the successive conversion of souls 
—are equally within the power of the Spirit ; and there 
miay exist wise reasons why, in certain cases, the first 
should be chosen, while, in other cases, the second is 
preferred. 

Several important purposes may be promoted by 
the sudden and simultaneous conversion of many souls, 
and the concurrent revival of Christian congregations, 
which either could not be attained at all, or not to the 


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429 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


same extent, by the more ordinary and gradual pro- 
gress of the Gospel. A season of general awakening 
affords, both to believers and unbelievers, a new and 
very impressive proof of the reality and power of the 
Spizit’s grace,—it strengthens the faith, and enlarges 
the hopes of God’s people,—it awakens those nominal 
professors who are at ease in Zion, and it alarms and 
arouses the consciences of the irreligious multitude. 
For when many are suddenly arrested by the power 
of the Spirit, and turned from the error of their ways, 
and made to break off their sins by repentance, and 
are seen flying to Christ like doves to their windows, 
the mind of every spectator must ‘be impressed with a 
sense of the reality and importance of religion, and 
the most ungodly for a time will tremble. 

Such a season of revival may be designed to mani- 
fest, in an extraordinary way, the continued presence, 
and the active agency of the Holy Spirit,—to demon- 
strate the faithfulness of God in fulfilling the promises 
of his Word,—to evince the efficacy of believing pray- 
er,—to teach the Church the weakness of human in- 
struments, and the true source of all spiritual power,— 
to quicken her faith and hope, when through manifold 
trials and increasing difficulties, she might be ready to 
faint and be discouraged, as if the task of regenerating 
the world were left to be accomplished by inadequate 
resources,—to stir her up to greater efforts, in a spirit 
of lively faith and humble dependence, and to afford 
new evidence to succeeding generations, that Christ js 
the exalted Head of the Church, and that all power 
is still given to him in heaven and on earth. These 


REVIVALS. 493 


are some of the important practical lessons which may 
be taught by such seasons of revival in the Church,— 
lessons which might be deduced from the more ordi- 
nary operations of the Spirit under the regular ministry 
of the Word, but which are more prominently pre- 
sented, and more impressively enforced, when, in the 
exercise of his adorable sovereignty, the Spirit of 
God, instead of descending like “‘ dew on the grass,” 
comes like “ showers which water the earth,” or like 
« floods on the dry ground.” And if these or similar 
ends may be promoted by such means, who will say 
that they may not be employed by Him who is “* wise 
in counsel, and excellent in working,” and of whom 
it is written, “ There are diversities of gifts, but the 
same Spirit. And there are differences of administra- 
tions, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of 
operations, but it is the same God which worketh all 
in all’ All these worketh that one and the self- 
same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he 
will.” . : 

That such seasons of general religious revival as 
occurred at the feast of Pentecost were to be expected 
in subsequent times, appears from those promises of 
Scripture which relate to “ times of refreshing from 
the presence of the Lord,” which insure the continued 
presence of Christ and his Spirit with the Church in 
all ages, and which declare, that ‘‘ when the enemy 
cometh in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift 
up a standard against him.” And that such seasons 
of revival have occurred at intervals along the whole 
line of the Church’s history, is a fact which 1s amply 


424 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


confirmed by historical evidence, and sufficient to ob- 
viate any prejudice arising from the idea that such an 
event is novel or unprecedented. 

The history of the collective Church resembles’ the 
experience of individual believers in many respects, 
and chiefly in this, that in both there occur seasons of 
growth and decay, of progress and declension, each 
bearing a resemblance to the course of nature, with its 
spring and winter, its seedtime and harvest. 

Thus, in the great Reformation of the sixteenth cen- 
tury, a reformation in the outward state of the Church, 
which had its source and spring in a revival of reli- 
gion in the hearts of a few chosen men,—when simul- 
taneously in Germany, and Switzerland, and Britain, 
the Holy Spirit said, “ Let there be light, and there 
was light.” “ Asin spring time* the breath of life is felt 
from the sea shore to the mountain top, so the Spirit 
of God was now melting the ice of a long winter in 
every part of Christendom, and clothing with verdure 
and flowers the most secluded valleys, and the most 
steep and barren rocks. Germany did not communi- 
cate the light of truth to Switzerland, Switzerland to 
France, France to England ; all these lands received 
it from God, just as no one region transmits the light 
to another, but the same orb of splendour dispenses it 
direct to the earth. Raised far above men, Christ, 
the day-star from on high, was, at the period of the 
Reformation, as at the first introduction of the Gospel, 
the divine source whence came the life of the world. 
One and the same doctrine suddenly established itself in 


* D’Aubigné, u. 347, 


REVIVALS. 495 


the sixteenth century, at the domestic hearths, and in 
the places of worship, of nations the most distant and 
dissimilar. It was because the same Spirit was every 
where present, producing the same feth.” 

A series of local revivals on a more partial and 
limited scale, have occurred since the great general 
revival at the era of the Reformation. : 

From 1623 to 1641 there occurred a very remark- 
able revival of true religion in the province of Ulster, 
in Ireland, which was the germ of that Presbyterian 
Church which continues to bless that province to the 
present time. The inhabitants of Ulster were settlers 
drawn from England and Scotland, and planted there 
as a colony by King James. At first they were men 
of reckless and dissolute character, and “ ripe for a 
great manifestation either of judgment or of mercy.”* 
In God’s good providence, some able and zealous mi- 
nisters of the Gospel, being oppressed in Scotland and 
England, took refuge in Ireland, and amongst them the 
eminent Blair, and Livingstone, and Welsh; and such 
a remarkable blessing accompanied their preaching, 
that not only were many souls converted, but pure 
Gospel Churches were planted, and a Gospel disci- 
pline introduced. Not a few of the higher ranks were 
converted; and it is a memorable fact, that the great- 
est success attended the preaching, not of the ablest 
and most prudent ministers, but of one whose gifts 
were weak, who knew little more than the terrors of 
the law, and who was “a man, it is said, who would 
never have been chosen by a wise assembly of minis- 

*Reid’s History of the Synod of Ulster, 
Ee 


+ 


ee 


{* 


496 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


ters, nor sent to begin a reformation in the land, Yet 
this was the Lord’s choice, that all men might see that 
it was not by power, nor by might, nor by man’s wis- 
dom, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord.” 

In 1625 a remarkable revival of religion occurred 
in the parish of Stewarton, chiefly through the instru- 
mentality of the Rev. D. Dickson, minister of Irvine. 
IIe had but recently before been driven from his 
church by the Court of High Commission, and 
banished to the north of Scotland, but being restored 
in 1623, he was greatly blessed in his ordinary minis- 
try; and having instituted a weekly lecture on. the 
market-day, with a view to the benefit of those coming 
in from the country, he was enabled to cast the pre- 
cious seed far and wide, so that it took deep root, and 
produced an abundant harvest, especially in the parish 
of Stewarton, where the “ revival spread from house 
to house for many miles along the valley.” Some- 
times there would be upwards of an hundred waiting 
to converse with him in the manse, after the lecture : 
and a complete change was wrought in the hearts and 
habits of a great number. This is attested, not only 
by the venerable minister himself, but also by some 
eminent characters, such as Professor Blair, Principal 
Boyd, Lady Eglinton, Lady Robertland, and others 
who visited the scene and shared in the services. 

In 1630 a very extraordinary revival occurred at 
the Kirk of Shotts in Lanarkshire. A number of 
ministers, then suffering under the persecution of the 
civil power, assisted at the dispensation of the Supper ; 
and such was the interest felt in the solemn service, 


REVIVALS. 427 


that the people expressed a desire to have a sermon 
on the Monday after the feast. Mr. John Livingstone 
then a preacher of the Gospel, and chaplain to the 
Countess of Wigton, was requested to officiate; but 
‘when he was alone in the fields in the morning, 
there came upon him such a misgiving, under a sense 
of unworthiness and unfitness to speak before so many 
aged and worthy ministers, and. eminent experienced 
Christians, that he was thinking of stealing away, and 
was just about to lose sight of the kirk, when these 
words, “* Was I ever a barren wilderness, or a land of 
darkness,” were brought into his mind with such an 
overcoming power, as constrained him to think it: his 
duty to return and comply with the call to preach. 
He preached accordingly, from Ezekiel xxxvi. 25,— 
“Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you,’ &c., 
and with such power, through the accompanying grace 
of the Spirit, “that about five hundred persons were 
converted, principally by means of this sermon.” This 
great revival was afterwards described as “ the sowing of 
a seed through Clydesdale, so as many of the most emi- 
nent Christians in that country could date either their 
conversion or some remarkable confirmation from it.” 

In 1638, the same yearsin which was held the cele- 
brated Assembly at Glasgow, there commenced a 
general revival of true religion in the Church of Scot- 
Jand, which has left its precious fruits as an inheritance 
to the present times,—a revival not confined to par- 
ticular districts, but extending over the whole Church, 
and influencing her judicatories as well as her con- 
gregations, 


498 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES, 


In 1734, a remarkable revival occurred in Nor- 
thampton, and many other towns in New England, 
North America, under the ministry of such men as 
President Edwards and David Brainerd, whose faith- 
ful narratives contain not only an authentic statement 
of facts, but many rich and instructive observations 
suggested by experience and observation. 

In 1742, many parishes in Scotland were visited 
with times of refreshing. The parish of Cambuslang, 
near Glasgow, then under the pastoral charge of Mr 
M‘Culloch, was one of the first to be visited. After he 
had preached for about a year on the nature and 
necessity of regeneration, he was requested by about 
ninety heads of families to give them a weekly lec- 
ture. _Prayer-meetings were formed; and one after 
another, and at length fifty in the same day, came to 
him in distress of mind. After this, such was their 
thirst for the Word of God, that he had to provide 
them a sermon almost daily, and before the arrival of 
Mr Whitefield, three hundred souls had been con- 
verted. When that eminent servant of God preached 
at the dispensation of the sacrament soon after, there 
were present about twenty-four ministers, and from 
thirty to forty thousand souls. Three thousand com- 
municated at the tables, many of them from a great 
distance, who carried with them to their several homes 
a savour of good things; and not fewer than four 
hundred, belonging to the parish, were enrolled in the 
minister’s lists as having been converted in that year. 

In the same year, the parish of Kilsyth, then under 
the pastoral care of Mr Robe, who had laboured for 


REVIVALS. 429 


thirty years without any remarkable success, was 
visited first of all with violent fever, and afterwards 
with famine, without any salutary effect. The minister 
was much. discouraged, but betook himself to prayer, 
and soon some symptoms of growing seriousness ap- 
peared, which rapidly ripened into a great spiritual 
revival. Sometimes thirty, sometimes forty were 
awakened in a week; in all there were about three 
hundred, whose subsequent life attested the sincerity 
of their conversion. 

In the same year, we have Btthendie accounts of the 
sudden and simultaneous revival of religion in many 
other parishes,—as in Baldernoch, where there was, at 
the time, no stated minister, but many were awakened 
through the labours of a pious schoolmaster,—in 
Campsie, in Calder, in Kirkintilloch, in Cumber- 
nauld, in Gargunnoch, and also in St. Ninians, and in 
Muthill. 

In 1794, a remarkable revival of religion occurred 
in various parishes of Wales, chiefly through the in- 
strumentality of Mr Charles of Bala. As early as 
1649, soon after the Westminster Assembly, com- 
missioners had been appointed by Parliament to sup- 
ply the religious destitution of that neglected country ; 
and one hundred and fifty pious ministers were planted 
in its various counties, and good schoolmasters ap- 
pointed in every market-town, besides thirty preachers 
who were appointed to itinerate from place to place. 
Several eminent ministers were afterwards raised up, 
such as Mr Hugh Owen, Mr Thomas Gouge, Mr 
Griffith Jones, Mr Howel Harries, Mr Daniel Row- 


430 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


lands, who successively devoted themselves to the cul. 
tivation of the same interesting field, and often with 
great success. Whitefield testifies that the people 
thought nothing of coming twenty miles to hear a 
sermon, and that thousands were savingly impressed. 
Mr Charles of Bala was himself one of the fruits’ of 
Mr Rowlands’ ministry ; and he devoted himself with 
the like zeal to the prosecution of the same glorious 
work. He instituted schools-in every part of his wide 
circuit ; and thousands, both old and young, received 
the Word with joy, while a general reformation was 
effected even among the careless and unconverted. 

In 1798, a remarkable revival of true religion oc- 
curred in the parish of Moulin, then under the pas- 
toral charge of the Rev. Alexander Stewart, afterwards 
one of the ministers of the Canongate. In the inte- 
resting account which he has left of this event, he 
ingenuously confesses that he was himself ignorant of 
divine truth, at least in its saving power, for several 
years after he was ordained to the holy ministry ; and 
that he was much perplexed when some persons, under 
concern for their souls, applied to him for advice. At 
length, through the writings of Newton and Scott, and 
the conversation and preaching of Mr. Simeon of Cam- 
bridge, who visited him in 1796, he was brought toa 
knowledge of the truth, and immediately declaring 
what he had learned, a great impression was made on 
the minds of the people,—insomuch that many nomi- 
nal professors abstained of their own accord from 
going forward to the Lord’s' table. Seldom a “week 
passed without one, two, or three persons being 


REVIVALS. 431 


brought under deep concern, till he could count seventy 
souls as his “¢ crown of joy and rejoicing.” 

In 1812, a great revival occurred in the island of 
Arran, under the ministry of the Rey. Mr. M<Bride, 
which was accompanied with much excitement, and 
what the world will call extravagance, but which re- 
sulted in the conversion of between two and three 
hundred souls. And in the same year, another oc- 
curred in the Island of Skye, which is in many 
respects extraordinary. Religion appeared to be well- 
nigh dead. Among several thousand persons, there 
were found only five or six New Testaments, and they 
had few advantages under the ministry. An itinerant 
preacher appeared, and laboured for some time amongst 
them, attracting considerable audiences, but without 
any apparent success, till a poor blind fiddler was con- 
verted, and raised up as a mighty agent in the great 
work. One of the ministers soon followed, and at 
length the revival spread, until several hundreds were 
added to the Church of such as should be saved. 

In 1824, a revival occurred under very different 
circumstances, in the parish of Uig, in the island of 
Lewis, under the pastoral care of Mr. M‘Leod. The first 
visible symptom of it was a rapid decrease in the num- 
ber of communicants; but nine thousand people flocked 
from all quarters to hear the Word, and to witness the 
service in which they would not partake. Multitudes 
were converted, and a general spirit of prayer poured 
out from on high. And this interesting revival has 
continued steadily to grow down to the present time. 

I have not adverted to many revivals reported to 


bd 


432 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 


haye taken place more recently in America, nor to 
those which have gladdened our hearts in our own day, 
and in our own land, but have confined myself to the 
authentic narrative of cases, whose fruits and effects 
we have had time to test and ascertain. And I think 
the cases which have been enumerated, are sufficient 
to show that such revivals are not novelties in the 
history of the Church, and ought not, therefore, to be 
regarded with those feelings of jealousy and suspicion 
which novelties in religion are so apt to awaken, 


PART ITI. 


YHE WORK OF THE SPIRIT IN THE EDIFICATION 
OF HIS PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER I. 


THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT AS THE SPIRIT OF 
HOLINESS. 


Tue general work of the Spirit of God consists of two 


_ parts—the Regeneration of sinners, and the Edification 
of his people. Under the latter, several special ope- 


rations of his grace are included, which are distinctly 
mentioned in sacred Scripture, and which may be 
considered separately, as examples of the connection 
which subsists betwixt his grace and all our duties, 
and as evidences of the love and wisdom with which 


_ his blessed agency is adapted to all the wants and 
_ weaknesses of our nature. It is an animating and 


consoling thought, that the promised grace of the 
Spirit has respect to every duty which we can be cail- 
ed to discharge, and to every change that can possibly 
occur in the condition, the temptations, and the trials 
of his people ; for whether we be called to fight against 
our corruptions—the Spirit is our sanctifier3 or to 
endure afiliction—the Spirit is our comforter; or to 
choose the path of duty in times of perplexity—-the 
Spirit is ovr guide; or to engage in prayer—the Spirit 


» 


ye 


ee 


~ will strengthen thine heart; 
fi ik Lord.” 


a 


+ ae See 


“4 


436 


THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


_is the spirit of grace and supplication; or to cultivate 
_ any one of the graces of the Christian character—they 


are all “the fruits of the Spirit;” so that whatever may 
~ be our duty, and however formidable the difficulties by 
which we are surrounded, we can look up to God on 


"4 os warrant of his own. word, for the aid of that 


nae ge 8008 Pepin who has L Pomieed “to help our infir- 
Wnities. 
never leave thee nor forsake thee,’ 


’ and who says to each of his people, ‘I will 
"—“* My grace is 
sufficient for thee, I will perfect my strength in weak- 
ness,”—“* As thy day is, so shall thy strength be,”— 
‘¢ Wait on the Lord, and be of good courage, and he 
wait, I say, upon the 


Sanctification is the work of the Spirit; and the 


me. ; r ° ° ° 
commencement of it in the soul is to be dated from 
_ the time of a sinner’s conversion. 


Until he is con- 
verted, he is “ dead in trespasses and sins,” for, says 
the apostle to the Ephesian converts, ““ You hath he 
quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 
wherein in time past ye walked according to the 
course of this world, according to the prince of the 
power of the air, the Spirit which now wo 
children of disobedience. Among whom also we all 
had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our 
flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the 
mind; and were by nature the children of wrath even 
ag others; and again, to Titus, “ For we ourselves 
also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, 


rketh in the 


deceived, 


“serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in. malice and 
he, envy, hateful and hating one another. 


“4 


es 
vy 


But after that 


AS THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS. 437 


the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward 


man appeared, not by works of righteousness which — 


we have done, but according to his mercy he saved. 
us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of 


the Holy Ghost; which ie shed on us abundantly — 


through Jesus Christ our Lord.” At the time ofa — 


sinner’s.conyersion, spiritual life is imparted to his 


soul—he who was dead “is” quickened—he rises “with | 
Christ to newness of life—he is born again—he is 
‘“ God’s oraeatle: created anew in Christ Jesus 
unto good works.” 

This great change is often pr Baa as we have seen, 
by a preparatory ork of conviction and instruction, 
and is always followed, as we shall now.see, by a pro- 
gressive course of sanctification 5 but it properly consists 


in his closing with Christ in the Gospel, by the delibe- ce 


rate assent of his understanding in an act of faith, and’ 


the decisive consent of his willin an act of choice. te 
the instant when a sinner, duly instructed in the truth, — “ 


and impressed with a sense of his guilt and danger, 
flees to Christ for refuge, and embraces him as his.own 
Saviour in all the fulness of his offices—at that. in- 


stant he passes from “death unto life,” and becomes 


a partaker of all the privileges of the children of God. 


That we might understand the nature, ‘the reality, and 
-the magnitude of this blessed change, God has been 
pleased to record many examples of it in Scripture, 


which serve the double purpose of teaching us, both. 


what is essentially involved in all cases of genuine 
conversion, and also the varieties of individual ex- 
perience which may exist notwithstanding. In re- 


is 


4 


438 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


viewing the cases of the Philippian Gaoler, and the 
dying Malefactor; of Lydia, Cornelius, and Paul ; 
of Timothy, the Ethiopian Treasurer, and the three 
thousand who were conyerted on the day of Pente- 
cost,—we are enabled to see, that while there were 
preat diversities of individual experience among them, 
both in respect to their previous character and the 
manner and circumstances of their conversion itself, 
yet there was a radical change that was common to 
al], and which properly consisted in their being brought 
under the power of “the truth as it isin Jesus,” while 
it was followed in every instance by a life of new, and 
cheerful, and devoted obedience. 

When the apostle says, “If we live in the Spirit, 
let us also walk in the Spirit” (Gal. y. 29), his words 
are addressed to those who have undergone this ereat 
change; and they refer, not to the work of the Spirit 
in the conversion of a sinner, which has been already 
illustrated, but to the continued worl: of the Spirit 
an the progressive and growing sanctification of the 
believer after he has been born again. And in 
directing your thoughts to this interesting subject, it 
may be useful, first of all, to illustrate some important 
truths which are implied in this exhortation, and then 
to explain and apply the exhortation itself, 


I. It implies that a@ new birth will invariably be fol- 


lowed by a new life,—and conversely, that a new life 
necessarily presupposes a new birth, so that regenera- 
tion and sanctification are inseparably conjoined. In 
other words, a renewed heart will be followed by 
practical reformation, and a holy life ean only spring 


* va 


AS THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS. 439 


from an inward change of heart. Regeneration is the 
spring, sanctification is the stream; if we live in the “ 
Spirit, we shall also walk in the Spirit; but we cannot 
wall spiritually unless we be spiritually alive. 

This important truth is clearly taught by our Lord, 
as will appear at once from a comparison of two pas- 
sages, in which he presents it in each of these aspects. 
In the first (Matt. vii, 16-20), he says, “ Ye shall know “i 
them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, 
or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth 
forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil 
fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, nei- 
ther can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every 
tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down 
and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye 
shall know them.” Here we are taught that the na- ” 
ture of the tree may be judged of by the quality ofits ba 
fruit; and that, wherever spiritual life exists in the shite 
heart, it will manifest its presence there by bringing 
forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness in the life ; 
so that utter barrenness is a proof of spiritual deat 
according to His own words, “ OR branch in me 
that beareth not fruit he taketh away’”—“ Behold these 
three years. I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and 
find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?” 

But, seeing that there may often be many outward 
semblances of holiness, where there is no-inward change 
of heart, our Lord teaches us in another passage “ 
(Matt. xii. 33), that the quality of the fruit depends 
on the nature of the tree; in other words, that there 
cannot be a spiritual life without a living principle 


i a 


440 THE WORK OF THE SPLKRiTr 


within. “ Hither,” says he, “make the tree good, and 
his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his 
fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O 
generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak 
good things; for out of the abundance of the heart 
the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good 
treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things; and 
an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth 
evil things.” And, in the 6th chapter of Matthew’s 
Gospel, He gives three distinct instances of the way 
in which actions, apparently good and moral, may be 
vitiated by the depraved state of the heart - He men- 
' tions almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, and declares, 
that if they proceed from an unhallowed principle, or 
improper motive, they are not acceptable in the sight 
of God. ) 
It is equally clear, then, that every sinner who has 
| been quickened by the Spirit will also walk in the 
Spirit ; and also, that a holy life, such as the Chris- 
tian leads, must be preceded by a new spiritual birth. 
If he be alive, he will walk; but, if he would walk 
he must be made alive. And the inseparable con- 
nection which subsists between a new birth and a new 
life, or betwixt regeneration by the Spirit, and a pro- 
gressive course of sanctification, is well worthy of our 
Serious consideration, because it serves to guard us 
“against two widely different errors which, it is to be 
feared, are too prevalent at the present day. The first 
is of an Antinomian complexion; and consists, not, 
perhaps, in the positive disbelief or denial of the duty 
which is incumbent on Christians, but in the practical 


AS THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS. | 441 


_ forgetfulness, or habitual neglect of those considera- 
tions which should lead them to maintain a close and 
conscientious walk with God,—and often results in 
their “ turning the grace of God into licentiousness,”— 
as if they were at liberty to “ continue in sin because 
grace abounds.” Perhaps the most common and fatal 
form which this dangerous error assumes in modern 
times, is the presumptuous confidence with which some 
professing Christians will venture to do what their con- 
sciences condemn, or at least, what they can, with great 
difficulty, reconcile even to their ideas of duty, with the 
Jatent feeling, that, if they sin, they have only to re- 
pent at some future time to ensure their forgiveness, 
—a feeling which, wherever it exists, evinces an utter 
ignorance of the nature and source of genuine repent- 
ance, and an awful want of fear and reverence for 


God. But, to every man who is conscious of any , 


tendency to continue in the indulgence of known sin, 
or to relax his diligence in the work of a growing 
sanctification, may it not be said, If ye walk not in 
the Spirit, what evidence have you that you Jive in the 
Spirit ? Is it not alike the command and the promise 
of Christ's Gospel—‘ Let not sin, therefore, reign in 
your mortal body”—for “ sin shall not have dominion 
over you; for ye are not under the law, but under 
grace. What then? Shall we sin, because we are 
not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” 
‘‘ How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer 
therein 2” 

Butifa new hfe will invariably follow the new birth, 
it is equally certain that there can be no real holiness “ 


eB SE 


“% 


449 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


of life without a thorough change of heart. And 
this truth also, which is implied in the apostle’s words, 
stands directly opposed to another error of a different 
kind,—I mean the error of those who are mere forma- 
lists, and whe suppose that, if their life be regular and 
decent,—and above all, if they abound in the outward 
acts of apparent morality,—they need give themselves 
little concern about any spiritual change. Augustine 
was wont to say, that the very virtues of such men 
were only “ splendid sins ;” and our Lord sanctions 
the same sentiment, when, referring to the alms, and 
prayer, and fasting, which were done from an impure 
and unhallowed motive, he declares, that, however 
applauded by men, they were utterly unacceptable to 
God. Nay, I wili venture to say, that every man’s 
conscience will decide in the same way: it estimates 
the morality of an action by the motive from which it 
springs. Suppose you see an individual relieving the 
wants of a poor brother—you immediately approve of 
an act by which the sufferer’s wants are relieved ; but 
suppose you could look in on that man’s heart, and 
found no love there, and no touch of human sympa- 
thy——but, in its stead, a lust of praise, or a desire of 
vain-glorious applause—TI ask, whether, on the instant, 
the vicious motive would not, even in your estimation, 
demoralize and desecrate the -whole character of his 
conduct ? And so is it with ourselves in our relation 
_ to God. He looks in upon the heart; and the heart 
must be renewed before the life can be reformed ac- 
cording to his will. Ifit be true that “ without holi- 

ness no man can see the Lord,” it is equally true that 


AS THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS. 443 


we can only become holy by being “ renewed in the 
spirit of our minds,” 

II. It is fartherimpied, in the apostie’s wards, tnat, 
not only éhe commencement, but the continuance also 
Ole spiritual life in the soul, depends on the gracious 
operation of the Spirit of God. As the great initial 
change, by which we pass from death unto life, is 
wrought by him, so is the succeeding course of our 
progressive sanctification ; and as he brings us into 
the way, he must conduct us, from first to last, by the 
constant communication of his wisdom to direct, of 
his grace to animate, and of his strength to sustain us. 
We are made alive by the Spirit; and we are enabled 
to walk by'the same Spirit, At the time of conver- 
sion, he may implant a gracious principle in the heart ; 
but that principle is not self-sustained, nor does it 
derive its nourishment from the soil in which it is 
planted, but is fed from his secret springs. The live- 
liest Christian would soon decay, were the Spirit’s 
grace withdrawn: he has no stability and no strength 
of his own; and there would be neither growth nor 
fruitfulness, but for those constant supplies which he 
receives of all needful grace from the fulness that is 
in Christ. | 

Accordingly, various expressions are used in Scrip- 
ture to intimate the constant operation, and the abid- 
ing presence, and the intimate fellowship of the Spirit 
with his people. Sometimes they are represented as 
being in him—“ If we live in the Spirit, let us also 
walk in the Spirit,’—an expression which, whatever 

else may be implied in it, y plain’ intimates a constant 


444 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


dependence on their part, and a continued care on his; 
and, at other times, he is represented as being in them 
—as when our Lord said, “I will pray the Father, 
and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may 
abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; 
whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him 
not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he 
dwelleth with you, and: shall be in you:” and the 
apostle, —“ What, know ye not that your body is the 
temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye 
have of God.” And both expressions occur in the same 
verse (Rom. vill. 9),—‘“‘ Ye are not in the flesh, but 
in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell 
an you.” 

The consideration of the continued presence, and 
constant operation of the Spirit of God in the soul of 
every true believer, is fitted at once to encourage and 
animate him in the path of holy obedience, and to 
impress him with an awful sense of reverence and 
godly fear. It is a strong consolation, and a cheering 
ground of confidence and hope, that amidst all the 
corruptions with which he is called to contend, and 


the innumerable temptations by which he is assailed, 


he is not left to depend on his own wisdom and 
strength, but may ask, in believing prayer, the sup- 
plies of the Spirit of all grace, and rest on the promise, 
“‘ My grace is sufficient for thee; I will perfect. my 
strenoth in weakness.” And when the believer is most 
sensible of his infirmity and corruptions, he is only the 
better able to appreciate the value of this promise, 
and to say with the apostle, ““ When I am weak, then 


AS THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS. 445 


am I strong.” But, if it be fitted to cheer and ani- 
mate the believer in his warfare, by giving him the 
hope of final victory, it is also unspeakably solemn: 
it may well fill him with holy awe, to think that’ the 
Spirit of God is at all times present with his soul— 
watching over its progress or declension—its growth 
or decay; that by cherishing unholy thoughts or de- 
sires, he may “grieve the Spirit,” and even provoke 
him, for a time, to withdraw; and, when he reads the 
solemn appeal, “ Know ye not that ye are the temples 
of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you: 
if any man defile the temple of God, him shall God 
destroy,’"— how forcibly should he feel the motive 
which is urged in the apostle’s exhortation, “ Work 
out your own salvation with fear and trembling ; for 
it is God that worketh in you to will and to do of 
his good pleasure.” 

iII. When the apostle says, “If we live in the Spirit, 
Jet us also walk in the Spirit,’—his words, while 
they contain a doctrinal truth, prescribe also a prac- 
tical duty; and that duty is inculcated by a mo- 
tive, derived from the consideration of our having 
been quickened into life by the Spirit of God. It is” 
as if he had said,—If we have been born again, ‘let 
the new birth be followed by a new life; let our walk, 
correspond with our past experience, and our present 
profession. There is much even in this general view 
of the apostle’s meaning, that may well humble us in 
the very dust for our past negligence, and, at the same 
time incite us to greater diligence in future; for every 
one who professes to be a Christian must be considered 


pa A EP TORI ET RPI A TO 


446 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


? 


as one who has been “ born again,” and in whom 
the “Spirit of God dwells;” and if this be implied in 
our profession, oh! how deeply should we be affected 
by the thought of our many miscarriages, our frequent 
declensions and decays, and thé strength of our re- 
maining corruptions; and how ardently should we 
desire that, in time to come, we may walk more worthy 
of the vocation wherewith we have been called, and 
become altogether such as God’s Spirit would have us 
to be! 

But more particularly—this walking in the Spirit 
consists in the habitual exercise of faith in Christ— 
that faith by which we are united to him, so as to 
receive out of his fulness even grace for grace. Christ 
is made of God unto us sanctification, as well as re- 
demption ; and it is by faith in him that our sanctifi- 
cation is advanced ; for, says the apostle, “I am cru- 
cified with Christ ; nevertheless I live, yet not I, but 
Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in 
the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who 
loved me, and gave himself for me.” And this corres- 
ponds with His own language to the disciples, “ Abide 
in me, and [in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit 
of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can 
ye, except ye abide in me. [ am the vine, ye are the 
branches: he that abideth in me and [ in him, the 
same bringeth forth much fruit: for without, or out of 
me ye can do nothing. Ifa man abide not in me, 
he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered ; and men 
gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are 
burned.” Now, “ we abide in Christ” when “ his word 


AS THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS. 447 


abideth in us.” It is by faith that we are first united to 
Christ, and it is by the continued exercise of the same 
faith that our union with him is maintained, and that 
we derive from him—as a branch draws sap from the 
vine—the nourishment which makes us fruitful. It 
was “ the truth as it is in Jesus” that was the means 
of our conversion, and it is the same trutli that is the 
instrument of our progressive sanctification; for Christ’s 
prayer for his disciples, even when he spoke of the 
promise of the Spirit, was, “ Sanctify them through 
thy truth; thy word is truth.” And the truth here 
spoken of is not solely, nor even chiefly, the truth con- 
tained in the law—although that is useful, as afford- 
ing a perfect rule, and authoritative directory for 
the conduct of life,—but it is especially the éruth 
contained in the Gospel; for that affords the most 
constraining motives to a life of new obedience; and 
what “ the law cannot do, seeing that it is weak 
through the flesh,” the Gospel can accomplish, because 
it is, in the hand of the Spirit, an effectual means of 
sanctification. We are not only justified, we are 
sanctified also by the truth as it is in Jesus; and they 
who are jealous of the doctrine of free grace, because 
of its supposed tendency to relax the obligations of 
holiness, betray a lamentable ignorance at once of the 
scheme of revealed truth, and the actual experience 
of all believers. Man’s method of sanctification is by 


the law—God’s method of sanctification is by the ~ 


Gospel; the former is by works—the latter is by faith 
—unto works. 
The walking in the Spirit, which is here enjoined, 


ee 


448 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


‘consists farther, in maintaining a constant conflict 
with indwelling sin, and seeking to crucify the flesh, 
with its corruptions and lusts. I need not say—for 


your own experience must convince you—that rege- 
neration does not destroy sin in the soul : it dethrones 
sin—it breaks its power; but it does not extirpate 
or expel it from the heart—it is still there; not as a 
tyrant, but as a traitor, ever ready to deceive and 
seduce,—and then most likely to succeed when we 
are least sensible of its presence, and least watchful 
against its wiles. Even in the bosom of the child of 
God, there is many a “root of bitterness,’ which 
springing up, may trouble and defile him,—there is a 
*‘ sin which doth so easily beset him,”—there is a “ law 
in his members warring against the law of his: mind, 
and bringing him into captivity to the law of sin and 
of death.” The whole course of his sanctification is a 
ceaseless warfare, which will never terminate until the 
body is dissolved in death. Now, the steady main- 
tenance of this arduous and protracted conflict, is in- 
cluded in “ his walking in the Spirit,” and can only 
be successful in this way; for, says the apostle, “* Walk 
in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the 
flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and 
the Spirit against the flesh : and these are contrary the 
one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that 
ye would. But if ye be led by the Spirit, ye are not 
under the law.” By the flesh in this context, we are 
to understand all our sinful propensities and passions, 
whether such as belong properly to the body, or such 


as have their seat in the soul; for, in enumerating _ 


\»* : 


es 


AS THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS. 449 


the works of the flesh, he mentions “ adultery, forni- 
cation, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, 
hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, 
heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, 
and such like ;” and, in reference to these, he says, 
“They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with 


the affections and lusts.” The use of the word flesh, 


however, seems to intimate, that our evil passions de- 
rive much of their virulence and strength from our 
connection with these “ vile bodies,” whose appetites 
we are so prone to indulge, and for whose comfort we 
are so anxious to provide; and if so, we may do well 
to remember the example of the apostle, who said, “I 
keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest 
having preached the Gospel to others, I should my- 
self be a castaway.” And the use, again, of such terms 
as “ mortify and crucify the flesh,” implies that we 
are called to a very painful task, and to the exercise 
of much self-denial; but this is involved in our pro- 
fession, and inseparable from it,—for, our Lord thus 
forewarned his disciples, ‘ If any man will come after 
me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and 
follow me.” 

Again, this walking in the Spirit consists in maintain- 
ing a spiritual frame of mind,—by having our thoughts 
much engaged with spiritual truth, and our affections 
set on spiritual objects,—and ail our faculties employed 
in spiritual services. That this spiritual frame of 
mind is included in the duty, appears from the state- 
ment of the apostle in another place,—“ For they that 
are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh: 


«Wye 


, ae te . bow 
450 | ‘THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 
but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the 


Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to 
be spiritually. minded is life and peace.” To walk in 


» the Spirit, clearly implies that we should be spiri- 


tually minded; * -and this gracious habit mainly con- 
sists in our thoughts being much occupied with divine 
truth, and our affections and desires being set, not on 
the things which are seen and temporal, but on those 
things which are unseen and eternal. The real state 
of our hearts may be determined by the prevailing 
bent of our thoughts, affections and desires ; for if these 
be mainly occupied with the world, and naturally and 
instinctively point to some earthly good, then we have 
reason to fear that. we are still walking after the flesh, 
and not after the Spirit; but if they are chiefly set 
on things spiritual and divine — if not only in the 
hour of prayer, but at other times, they recur to God, 
and Christ, and heaven, and dwell on these subjects 
with complacency and satisfaction, or at least with 
earnestness,—then we have reason to hope that we 
may be of the number of those who have been quick- 
ened into spiritual life,—of which the first and surest 
symptom is, the appetite and desire for spiritual 
nourishment and food. And he who is thus spiritually 
minded is said to “ walk in the Spirit,” not only be- 
cause it is the Spirit which quickened him at the 
first, but also because it is the Spirit which continues 
to sustain his spiritual life,—keeping alive his appe- 
tite for spiritual food,—directing his thoughts to spi- 
ritual things,—and exciting his affections for spiritual 


® See Owen on Spiritual Minaeanes* 


YY 2 ' Edd ie 
» J " . is hu. © 
AS THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS. 451 


objects. This he does by means of the truth; and 
hence the same truth which is declared to be the germ 
of the new birth—by which we are “‘ born again, not 
of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, even by the 
Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever,’— 
that same truth is also the aliment by which the Spirit 
nourishes his people; for, “‘as new born babes, they 
desire the sincere milk of the Word, that they may 
grow thereby.” And so the same Word which cleanses 
the sinner at first—for we read of “the washing of 
water by the Word ”—is also the means of his grow- 

ing sanctification ; for “© now ye are clean through 
the word which I have spoken unto you.” 


Walking in the Spirit consists farther, im our | 
habitually seeking to cultivate and exercise all the 
graces of the Christian life—by bringing forth abun- | 
dantly the peaceable fruits of righteousness. These | 


are expressly said to be, in every believer, * the fruits 
of the Spirit ; ;’ for, says the apostle, “ the fruit of the 
Spirit is love, joy, peace, long- suffering, gentleness, 
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance ;’ and again, 
“the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, and nght- 
eousness and truth.” 

Without attempting to illustrate each of those ele- 
ments of the Christian character, I may observe in 
general, that when combined, as they alw ays are, 
although in different degrees and proportions, in the 
“experience of believers, they are to be regarded as the 
first lineaments of that divine image which was lost at 
the fall, and which it is the great design of the Spirit 
to restore, while they are at the same time a source of 


<> - 
i vd , o 


452 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


the purest and most permanent happiness: love to 
God as our Father, to Christ as our best benefactor, 
and to his people as brethren: joy and peace, spring- 
ing from the Gospel—the joy which the world can © 
neither give nor take away—the very peace of God 
which passeth all understanding: long-suffering and 
gentleness, springing from that love which “ beareth all 
things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth 
all things :” goodness, which rejoiceth not in iniquity, 
but rejoiceth in the truth: faith, which believes God, 
and trusts in his faithful promise: meekness, which is 
not overcome of evil, but overcomes evil with good: and 
temperance, which restrains indulgence within the 
limits of duty ;—these are the elements of the Christian 
character; and they are as conducive to our true hap- 
piness, as they are opposed to our natural dispositions. 

But especially, let us realize the thought, that these 
graces are, one and all, the fruits of the Spirit—they 
are not the spontaneous products of our corrupted 
nature, nor even the forced nurslings of our own cul- 
ture and industry—they are the “beauties of holiness,” 
with which the Spirit of God adorns “the new crea- 
ture,” and by which he prepares him for the society 
and services of heaven. If, then, we feel ourselves 
deficient in any one or more of these graces, we should 


\ not depend on our own strength; but, while we are 


diligent in the use of every appointed means, we should 
pray for the Sprrir. 

It is a very serious truth, that each of us must be 
walking either after the flesh or after the Spirit; and 
that according as we pursue the one course or the other, 


AS THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS. 453 


we are proceeding, with the swiftness of time itself, to- 
wards heaven or hell. Our personal interest in ail 
the privileges and promises of the Gospel depends on 
our choice betwixt these two; for, speaking of those 
who are interested in the Gospel, the apostle describes 
them in these words—“ There is now no condemna- 
tion to them which are in Christ Jesus ; whowalk not 
after the flesh, but after the Spirit;” for “ as many 
as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons 
of God,”—but he adds, ‘If any man have not the 
Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” “So then they 
that are in the flesh cannot please God.” “If ye live 
after the flesh, ye shall die.” The apostle urges this 
solemn truth even on the attention of those to whom 
he wrote, although they were professing Christians ; 
partly because there are, in every visible church, some 
mere nominal professors, who need to be awakened to 
a sense of their real condition; and partly also, be- 
cause it is salutary for believers themselves to be re- 
minded of the wide difference which subsists betwixt 
the. Church and the world, and of the holy jealousy 
with which they should watch over their own souls. 
“ Wherefore work out your own salvation with fear 
and trembling ; for it is God that worketn in you both 
to wili ana to do ot his good pleasure.’ 


454 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 
Nis 
oy 
a 


CHAPTER iL. 


THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT AS THE SPIRIT OF 
! ADOPTION. 


Tue Spirit of God not only sanctifies his people, 
but he imparts a new character to their obedience, 
They “run in the way of his commandments, when 
he has enlarged their hearts,”—and this he does as 
the Spirit of adoption. “ For ye have not received 
the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have re- 
ceived the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, 
Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our 
spirit, that we are the children of God: and if chil- 
dren, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with 
Christ.” (Rom. viii. 15-17.) When the apostle 
says, “ Ye have not received the spirit of bondage 
again to fear,” the word “ again” ‘implies, ‘that at 
some former period there did exist, amongst God’s 
people, that spirit of bondage unto fear which is here 


Sens ay : h , 
contrasted with the spirit of adoption, and that they 
had even received it from God himself. There ‘ 


reason to believe that the apostle refers, in the firs 
instance, to the difference between the two great dis- 


“+ 


»* 


AS TUE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION, 455 


pensations of divine truth, or to the contrast which is 
elsewhere so strikingly marked betwixt the law and 


the Gospel. The widely different characters of these 


dispensations are described, when, in cne place it 1s 
said, “ The law was given by Moses; but grace and 
truth came by Jesus Christ ;” and in asother, where 
we read of “ the two covenants, the one 1rom Mount 
Sinai, which genderetin to bondage: the other from 
Jerusalem, which is above, and is free ;’—the law 
being alike fitted ia its own nature, and designed in 
the purpose of God, to generate a spirit of bondage, 
to shut men up to the faitn that was still to be re- 
vealed, and to place them, as it were, under tutors 
and governors, until the time appointed of the Father. 
« Even so we,” adds the apostle, ° when we were 
children, were in bondage unto the elements or rudi- 
ments of the world. But when the’ fulness of the 
time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a 
woman, made under the law, to redeem them that 
were under the law, that we might receive the adoption 
of sons.” In so far as the law given by Moses was a 
republication of the covenant of works, it had no 
power to give peace to the sinnex’s conscience, and no 
tendency to liberate him from the bondage of his fears. 
On the contrary, it was fitted and dette to con- 
vince him of his guilt and danger,—to impress him 
with an awful sense of God’s unchangeable rectitude 


and justice, and to teach him, that “ by the works of 


the law shall no flesh be justified.” It was, in fact, a © t : 


ministration of death, a ministration of condemnation ; 
and the bondage of the law preceded, and tended to 


456 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


prepare the way for the glorious. liberty wherewith 
Christ maketh his people free. 

But while the apostle’s words may be understood as 
referring, in the first instance, to the difference be- 
twixt the two great dispensations of the law and the 
Gospel,—they may be considered also as descriptive 
of imo corresponding stages in the experience of © 
every believer. There is a remarkable resemblance 
in this respect betwixt the course of God’s dispensa- 
tions to the Church at large, and the methods of his 
dealing with each individual in particular ; for just as, 
in the history of the Church, the first covenant, which 
gendered unto bondage, preceded the fulness of Gos- 
pel liberty in Christ,—so in the experience of private 
Christians there is often, in the first instance, a spirit 
of bondage unto fear, before they receive the spirit of 
adoption, whereby they cry, Abba, Father. Many a 
soul is kept in bondage for a time, before it is brought 
into the liberty of a child of God. I refer not to the 
bondage of six, of which the apostle speaks, when he 
says of the ungodly,“ While they promise them liberty, 
they themselves are the servants of corruption; for of 
whom a man is overcome,-of the same is he brought 
in bondage ;” and again, “ That they may recover 
themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken 
captive by him at his will,”—this is indeed the natural 
condition of all men, and there is no tyranny more 
absolute, and no bondage more severe; but it is a 
servitude which lamentable experience declares to be 
perfectly compatible with the utmost carelessness ; and 
its unhappy victims, so far from suffering under the 


- 


AS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 457 


spirit of bondage wnto fear, have often no apprehen- 
sion of their danger, and no desire to escape from their 
misery, but cling to the chains by which they are 
bound. They are slaves, but they know it not,— 
slaves to their sin, and in bondage to their lusts ; but, 
following ‘“ the sight of their own eyes, and the de- 
sire of their own hearts,” they love their bondage, and 
even glory in their shame. But I speak not of the 
bondage of siz, but of the bondage of the /aw,—not 
of the yoke of natural corruption, but of the galling 
yoke of convictions, produced in the conscience by the 
Word and Spirit of God: such convictions as were 
felt by the Philippian gaoler, when, from being a care- 
less sinner, he became a convinced and anxious in- 
quirer, and called for a light, and sprang in and came 
trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and 
said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved ?”—and by the 
dying thief on the cross, when, under strong impres= 
sions of God’s justice, he said to his fellow-sutferer, 
“ Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same 
condemnation ; and we indeed justly, for we receive 
the due reward of our deeds ;’—and by the three thou- 
sand on the day of Pentecost, who, when they heard 
Peter’s sermon, ‘‘ were pricked in their heart, and 
said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and 
_ brethren what shall we do?” When the law of God 
is applied to the sinner’s conscience,—when he is 
enabled to understand its spirituality and extent, as 
reaching even to the thoughts and intents of the heart ; 
when he is impressed with a sense of his. own sinful- 
ness in particular, its aggravated guilt, and its awful 
.. & f G g 


~ 


3. 


i> ff 


9 


458 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


demerit,—and, when applying to himself God’s threat- 
enings, he is made to feel as if God were saying to 
him, “ Thou art the man,” then he will learn from his 
own experience what is meant by “the spirit of bon- 
dage unto fear ;” and the sudden change which is thus 
wrought in all his views and feelings, will enable him 
to understand what the apostle felt, when he said, 
“ T was alive Without the law once; but when the 
commandment came, sin revived and I died.” The 
right apprehension of God’s law, and the serious 
application of it to a man’s conscience, cannot fail 
to awaken convictions of guilt, and these, again, are 
always accompanied with fear and terror,—for “ the 
law worketh wrath ;” and its fearful curse will be felt 
either as a heavy burden oppressing the conscience, 
or as a grievous bondage from which no human 
power can effect his deliverance. This has been the 
bitter experience of many an anxious inquirer at the 
commencement of his course: he has been so deeply 
convinced of sin, and so much impressed with a sense 
of divine wrath, that he can have no difficulty in 
understanding what is meant by the spirit of bondage. 
God has been a terror to him,—so that, like Job, 
he was ready to say, “ The arrows of the Almighty 
are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my 
spirit,—the terrors of God do set themselves in array 
against me;” or like David, “I remembered God 


and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit 


was overwhelmed.” And the prospects of his soul, 
and especially the thought of death, and judgment, 
and eternity, have been unspeakably dreadful,—inso- 


AS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 459 


much, that “‘ through fear of death he was subject to 
bondage.” 

This spirit of bondage unto fear is ne effect of the 
law, and the utmost that the mere law can accom- 
plish: it “ gendereth unto bondage,’—it awakens fear, 
and may occasion deep distress; but it has no capa- 
city or fitness for pacifying the conscience, or insuring 
the salvation of a sinner. God is pleased to use the ~ 
law as an instrument of- conviction,—turning up, as 
with a ploughshare, the fallow ground of nature, and 
thereby preparing it for the reception of the good seed ; 
and this preparatory work is of great practical use, and 
indeed of absolute and indispensable necessity, in order 
to saving conversion. When the apostle says, there- 
fore, “ Ye have not received the spirit of bondage 
again to fear,” his words are to be understood as inti- 
mating, not that sinners are now exempt from this 
preparatory discipline, or that it is no longer used 
under the Gospel, but that another and better spirit 
is the proper fruit of the new dispensation under 
which we have been placed, and ought to be found 
in the heart of every believer. I refer to “ the spirit 
of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” 

II. The spirit of bondage unto fear, which is pro- 
duced by the law applied to the conscience, can only be 
exchanged for “ the spirit of adoption,” by our believ- 
ing the Gospel. When the sinner, awakened out of 
the lethargy of nature, and convinced in his conscience, 
or pricked in his heart, begins to inquire, “ What 
must I do to be saved?” he is in a hopeful state of 
preparation for receiving the Gospel ; and if, under the 


> ’ — 
hy ‘ . ee 
¥ my - 
» 
460 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


teaching of the Spirit, he is enabled to understand the 
message of peace which God has sent from the upper 
sanctuary ;—if he is taught to apprehend the nature 
of the scheme of grace,—the design and object of the 
Saviour’s work, the value and the efficacy of his death, 
as an atonement for sin,—the all- sufficiency of Christ 
as ‘one who is able to save unto the very uttermost 
—and the richness and freeness of his grace, as it is 
expressed and declared in the free and universal calls 
and invitations of the Gospel ;—and if, especially, he 
be enabled to apply the truth to his own case, so as to 
feel that the-Gospel, which is glad tidings to all, is a 
Gospel to him, and that Jesus, who is the Christ of 
God, is a Christ to his own soul;—then, on the in- 
stant when he understands and believes the Gospel 
message, and appropriates it to himself, may the spirit 
of bondage be displaced by the spirit of adoption in 
his heart, and he may enter at once on the glorious 
liberty wherewith Christ maketh his people free. 
For it is simply by faith—simply by believing what 
God speaks to him in the Word, that the convinced 


sinner becomes a converted man; and there is enough | 


in Christ’s Gospel to produce and sustain a spirit of 
adoption in his heart, even were he the very chief of 
sinners. The reason why we remain so long under 
the bondage of legal fears, is, not that the Gospel is 
inadequate to remove them, or insufficient to produce 
a spirit of adoption ; but because there is either some 
defect or error in our apprehension of the truth, or 
some lurking spirit of unbelief concerning it, or some 
remaining unwillingness to close with it. If we would 


—— teal 


» * ae . * 
Ng ™ ved . 
AS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 461 


only believe, we should see the salvation of God ;— 
if the most disconsolate sinner would only look out 
of himself to Christ, and behold him as the Lamb of 
God that taketh away the sin of the world ; and open- 
ing his mind to the full impression of the truth, would 
receive it as a faithful saying, and worthy of all ¢ accep~ 
tation, that Christ came into the world to save sin- 
ners,—that Christ speaks to him individually in the 
Gospel, and offers him a free salvation, and calls, and 
invites, and beseeches, and commands him to accept 
of it,—that he who died on the cross is now on the 
throne, a Saviour mighty to save; and that God is 
revealed no longer as the Lawgiver, Judge, and 
Avenger, but as God in Christ reconciling—* the 
Lord God merciful and gracious, forgiving iniquity, 
and transgression, and sin,”—oh! then might the most 
anxious inquirer that ever smarted under the yoke of 
bondage pass at once into a state of perfect freedom, 
and exchange all his misgivings, and forebodings, and 
fears, for peace and joy in believing—that peace 
which passeth all understanding, and that joy which 
is unspeakable and full of glory. 

For by faith in the Gospel he comes at once into 
a new state and relation to God. Formerly he was 
a child of disobedience, a child of wrath even as others, 
—now he is, by adoption, a son; and. if a son, thet 
an heir, an heir of God, and a joint heir with Christ. 
This change in his relation to God is necessarily an- 
tecedent to the witness of the Spirit by which it is 
declared and confirmed; and it is because we are sons 
that God sends forth the Spirit of his Son into our 


462 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


hearts, crying, “* Abba, Father.” And this filial relation 
is constituted by faith; for on the instant that a sinner 
believes the Gospel, he is adopted into God’s family, 
and becomes a partaker of all the privileges of his 
children. His whole relation to God is changed,— 
so that to him may be addressed the language of the 
apostle, “ Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but 
ason; and if 4 son, then an heir of God through 
Christ.” Adoption is a most precious privilege,—it 
brings us into a new and most endearing relation to 
God,—it makes us the children and the heirs of him 
who graciously condescends to call himself our Father 
in heaven; and, as it is bestowed like every other 
.privilege of his grace, through the mediation of his 
own Son, it confers an infallible security by making us 
“ joint heirs with Christ,’—heirs not in our own right, 
but in the right of him who is God’s only begotten and 
well beloved Son. And this precious privilege, which 
brings us now under the paternal protection of God, 
and gives us a sure interest in all the promises of the 
Gospel, is attained simply by believing; for there is 
enough in the message of the Gospel to warrant even 
the very chief of sinners in drawing nigh unto God 
as a forgiving Father; and as soon as that message 
is clearly understood, and cordially believed, we may 
enter at once on the state and condition of children. 
But this change in his relation to God will be ac- 


’ companied with a corresponding change in his views 


and feelings towards him ; he will now regard him as 
his Father ;—his state being changed, his spirit will 
be changed also; and he will be conscious of a new 


— 


AS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 463 


frame of mind, which is here called “ the spirit of 
adoption, whereby he cries, Abba, Father” This 
childlike disposition can only be produced by the truth 
as itis in Jesus, received in the exercise of a simple 
faith, and applied with power by the Spint of all 
grace $ and the spirit of adoplion springs as nalu- 
rally from the Spirit's work in applying the Gospel, 
as the spirit of bondage from the Spirit's work in 
applying the law. It belongs to the office of the 
Holy Spirit to unfold to the believer the cunsearchable 
riches of Christ —to open up » the freeness of his grace, 
and the-fulness of Gospel privilege which belongs to 
his people; ‘for,’ says our Lord, “he shall glorify 
me: he shall receive of mine, and shall show it 
unto you ;”’—and the apostle, ‘‘ Eye hath not seen, 
nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of 
man the things which God hath prepared for them 
that love him; but God hath revealed them unto us 
by his Spirit.” “ Now we have received, not the 
spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, 
that we might know the things which are freely given 
to us of God.” 

The work of the Spirit in applying the Gospel for 
the comfort and establishment of believers, considered 
as the children of God, consists of two parts, which, 
although they may be intimately connected, and 


mutually related with each other, are nevertheless 
capable of being distinguished, and are mentioned 
separately by the apostle. For two distinct effects of 
his operation are referred to, when we read in the 
15th verse of “the spirit of adoption, whereby we 


464 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT . 


ery, Abba, Father ;” and in. the 16th, of . the witness 
of the Spirit, whereby he assures Ma thal we are the 
. child en ‘of God. The one der 

_. position which characterises eve 


y _ ielexemtiesia 
other, the assurance of their souship, Ww hich isa higher 
attainment than the former, but one that is not always 
enjoyed, even by those who manifest much of the 
spirit of filial reverence, submission and. love. Some 
latent feeling of aay some a trust ma conf 
dence, is indeed necess: 
adoption, by whic 1 
and he may really b dr 
confidence of sonship, Ryhile. lé: from some remaining 


darkness or defect in his faith, he may shrink from i 
using the strong language of assurance, and dare not 4 
say in so many words, that “the Spirit beareth wit- 
ness with his spirit that he is a child of God.” But f 


if he has believed the Gospel at all,—if he has been 


enabled to understand the Gospel message, and to 
apply it to his own sou tmust have experienced a 
great and a growing change in all his views, and feel- | 
ings, and dispositions towards God,—he must have 
been liberated in some measure from the spirit of 
bondage, and imbued with the spirit of adoption; and 
wherever this new spirit exists, it is in itself a proof of 
sonship, and in its growing strength, and habitual 
exercise, it may lay the foundation of that full assur- 
ance of hope which is produced in the mind of a be- 
ever, when “the Spirit beareth witness with his 
spirit that he is one of the children of God.” 


That we may understand the nature of this child- 


\ 


’ sa ; “Sh : * 

mr 4 faa ‘Mare “e Rei on 
wk =  ” . a a eo > , ty _ 
« . f , 4, , - . 4! ss 
5 oa ae ' cate 
AS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 465 


4 od 2 


” 


like frame of mind, and the new character which it im= Ss 

parts to oe believer's obedience,—it may be observed, ri 
1, That the spirit. of adoption implies reverence 

‘such as is due to God’s infinite and » 
adorable perfections, but excludes that slavish dread 

and terror which a conviction of guilt is apt to in- 

' spire. We read in Scripture of two kinds of rman; = © 
the one of which belongs to the spirit of bondage, the | 
other to the spirit of adoption. They are usually dis- 
tinguished, in the writings of divines,by the name of 
filial and slavish fear,—the latter being the fear with 
which a slave regards his taskmaster, the former the 
fear with. which a son regard s his father. You can 
have no difficulty in distinguishing betwixt the two, 
or in seeing, that while the one is excluded by faith 

in the Gospel, the other may be only deepened and 
confirmed by it. The fear which springs from a spirit 
of bondage, arises from the terrible apprehension of 
God as an avenger, and is apt to exasperate our 
natural enmity, to widen our separation from God, 
and to excite distrust, dislike, and aversion ; and this 
unhappy frame of mind it is one of the great objects 
of the Gospel to change, by removing the ground of 
our apprehensions, and proclaiming a message of re- 
conciliation. But even where the Gospel message 
has been so clearly understood, and so sincerely em- 
braced, that it has destroyed the spirit of bondage, 
and brought the soul into the conscious enjoyment of 
that liberty which belongs to the children of God,— 
it does not remove, on the contrary it deepens, that 
filial fear, which it becomes us, as children, to cherish 


- 466 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


towards such a being as God is, even when he is 
regarded as our Father in heaven,—a fear which pro- 
perly consists in reverence, and expresses itself in the 
language of humble adoration, and produces a cir- 
cumspect and watchful habit, such as is described 
when the apostle says to believers themselves, ‘“ Be 
not high minded, but fear’—“ work out your own 
salvation with fear and trembling,’—and “ pasg the 
time of your sojourning here in fear.” This reverential 
» fear is not the fruit of guilt or mere conviction of con- 
science, nor is it confined to the bosoms of sinners,—it 
is felt and cherished by the angels and seraphim of 
heaven, when they veil their feet and their faces with 
their wings, and cry one to another, “ Holy, holy, 
holy, Lord God of Hosts ;”—it was felt by all the 
saints of old, who were admitted to near converse with 
God, or who witnessed any remarkable manifestation 
of his divine perfections,—as Elijah, when he covered 
his face with his mantle ; and Moses, when he said, “ I 
exceedingly fear and quake ;” and the beloved disciple, 
when he “ fell at his feet as dead.” It is indeed an 
essential and permanent part of true religion, both on 
earth and in heaven ; for it will never cease to be true, 
that “ great fear is due unto the Lord in the meet- 
ing of his saints, and that he is to be had in reverence 
ofall them that apprcach him.” The spirit of adop- 
tion, then, although it delivers us from the spirit of 
bondage, and the slavish dread which devils feel, of 
whom it is said that “ they believe and tremble,” has 5 
no tendency to cherish an undue familiarity with 
a God, or to relieve our minds from that salutary awe, 


AS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION, 467 


and godly fear which is the very beginning of wis- 
dom. On the contrary, the same Gospel which re- 
leases us from the yoke of slavish terror, by revealing 
the grace and mercy of God to sinners, is fitted to 
deepen even our deepest thoughts of the holiness and 
justice, the truth and the majesty of God,—insomuch, 
that no believer can contemplate the cross of Christ 
without feeling a solemn sense of awe on his spirit, 
and entering into the meaning of the Psalmist’s words, 
“ There is forgiveness with God, that he may be 
feared.” } 

2. The spirit of adoption implies a lively sense of 
gratitude, and a principle of supreme love to God, 
such as a child feels towards a forgiving and affection- 
ate father ; and excludes that sullen discontent, and 
that resentful opposition, which the spirit of bondage 
is apt to inspire. Slavish fear—a fear arising merely 
from convictions of conscience and the prospect of 
judgment, naturally tends to increase our aversion 
to God, and to inflame our natural enmity; and 
whether it evinces’ itself in violent opposition, as in 
the case of Herod, who feared John, and afterwards 
cast him into prison; or in dark and dreadful despair, 
as in the case of Judas, when under the influence of 
remorse he went and hanged himself, it has no power 
to attract or reconcile the sinner to his Judge. But 
‘‘what the law could not do, in that it was weak 
through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the 
likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in 
the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be 
fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after 


468 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


the Spirit.” The Gospel, as a message of love, is 
fitted to inspire the sinner with gratitude; and where- 
ever it exists, faith worketh by love,—by love to God 
for the benefits which he has conferred,—for the com- 
passion and merey which he has exercised,—and for 
all the adorable perfections of his divine nature, w hich 
he has displayed in the scheme and work “of redemp- 
tion; and this love, engendered by the glad tidings of 
salvation through Christ, utterly excludes the slavish 
anxieties and terrors which belong to ‘the spirit of 
bondage ; for, says the apostle, «‘ There is no fear in 
love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear 
hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in 
love.” But “we love him, because he first loved us.” 
Who can describe the feelings of a convinced sinner 
when he is first enabled to look up to God as a for- 
giving father, and to hear, as it were, from his own 
lips, the gracious words, “Son! be of good cheer, thy 
sins are forgiven thee!’ Just such as were the feelings 
of the poor prodigal, when, after his wayward and 
weary sojourn in a strange land, where, professing 
himself to be free, he inwardly felt that he was the 
slave of his own passions, and in “ the spirit of bond- 
age” preferred, even when he was in want, to go into 
a field, and fill his belly with the husks which the 
swine did eat, rather than return to his father’s house; 
yet remembering his father’s love, his heart relented, 
and he said, ‘I will go to my father,” but still in the 
spirit of bondage added, ‘“‘ Make me as one of thy 
hired servants ;’’—he came, ‘tand when his father saw 
him afar off, he ran, and fell upon his neck, and 


cy ; 


AS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 469 


kissed him, and said, This my son which was dead is 
alive again, was lost and is found ; bring out the fairest 
robe for him, and kill the fatted calf;”—oh ! just such, 
if we can conceive them, are the feelings of a sinner, 
when the spirit.of bondage unto fear is displaced by the 
spirit of adoption, “ whereby he cries, Abba, Father.” 
3. The spirit of adoption implies a warm brotherly 
love towards all who are members of God’s family,—a 
new affection corresponding to the new relation into 
which we have been introduced, and bearing some 
proportion to the sacred and endearing ties by which, 
as Christians, we are connected with each other. The 
spirit of adoption points directly to God, and consists 
in supreme love to him; but it necessarily implies 
also love to the brethren, for, says the apostle, “* Every 
one that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that 
is begotten of him,”—‘“ If a man say, I love God, and 
hateth his brother, he is a har; for he that loveth not 
his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God 
whom he hath not seen? and this commandment 
have we from him, that he who loveth God, love his 
brother also.” The intimate connection which sub. 
sists betwixt the two—I mean betwixt love to God 
as our Father, and to each other as brethren, is abun- 
dantly proved by the experience of our own hearts, as 
well as by the express testimony of the Word: for if, 
on the one hand, we experience at any season an 
unusual enlargement of affection towards God; if we 
taste most sweetly, and see most clearly, that the 
Lord is gracious, and have much liberty and comfort 


in crying to him, “ Abba, Father ;” then also shall 


oe 


oo 


470 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


we feel a corresponding love to all his people, a dis- 
position to forgive as we hope to be forgiven, and a 
desire to do good unto all men as we have opportu- 
nity, but especially unto them that are of the house- 
hold of faith. And if, on the other hand, we allow 
our spirits at any time to be ruffled by strife and 
contention,—if, in the heat of undue excitement, we 
begin to think or to speak harshly of one another, and 
allow the sun to go down upon our wrath, we shall 
feel in the very hour of prayer how fatal this unhal- 
lowed spirit is to comfortable fellowship with God— 
how it fetters our freedom and embitters our feelings ; 
and even when we seek to cry, “ Abba, Father,” in the 
spirit of adoption, it infuses into our souls all the 
discomfort and anxiety of the old spint of bondage, 
Hence our Lord’s command to his disciples, “ If thou 
bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that 
thy brother hath ought against thee, leave there thy gift 
before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled 
to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift ;” and 
the exhortation of the apostles, « Let all bitterness, 
and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking 
be put away from you, with all malice; and be ye 
kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one an- 
other, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven 
you. Be ye, therefore, followers of God, as dear 
children, and walk in love? 

4, The spirit of adoption implies a disposition to 


~ hold fellowship and communion with God as our 


Father, and with his children as our brethren in Christ. 
The spirit of adoption prompts the believer to hold 


—_—- 


AS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 47) 


communion with God; for it is by this spirit that he 
cries, ‘ Abba, Father.” And as it leads him to be 
much engaged in prayer, so it gives a new character 
to his devotions; they are no longer the expression of 


an anxious and fearful heart, but the outpourings of a, 


spirit confiding in a father’s wisdom, rejoicing in a 
father’s love, and committing itself to a father’s care. 
So long as he was under the spirit of bondage, prayer, 
instead of being a sweet and refreshing privilege, was 
felt to be a task, or used only as a form; his petitions 
were dictated by fear more than by faith, and he felt 
rather as a criminal speaking to his judge, or asa slave 
deprecating his master’s wrath, than as a child com- 
muning with his father. But now, adopted into 
God’s family, and reconciled through the blood of 
Christ, he feels a confidence in drawing near to God, 
such as a child has in speaking to a wise and affec- 
tionate parent, and which is only the more tender and 
deeply rooted in his heart, because he had been a 
rebellious child, and is now forgiven. The very recol- 
lection of his sins, when combined with a sense of 
God's pardoning mercy, will fill his heart to overflow- 
ing with love, and gratitude, and joy; and while he 
is deeply humbled, and ready to acknowledge that he 
is no “ more worthy to be called a son,” yet knowing 
that his adoption was an act of sovereign grace, and 
that it was vouchsafed, not on account of his own 
righteousness, but solely through the righteousness of 
Christ and the redemption of his cross, “ he can come 
boldly,to the throne, that he may obtain mercy, and 
find grace to help him in every time of need.” And 


“+0 


‘2 


P 


472 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


in doing so, he is encouraged by the relation in which 
God stands to him, as his Father in heaven; and by 
the recollection of those gracious assurances which are 
founded on this relation in the Word; he remembers 
the words of Christ himself—« But thou, when thou 
prayest, enter into thy closet; and when thou hast 
shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret ; 
and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward 
thee openly,’—“ Your Father knoweth what things 
ye have need of before ye ask him ;” and, “If ye, 
being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your 
children, how much more shall your Father in heaven 
give good things to them that ask him.” There is 
a rich fountain of encouragement to prayer, in the 
idea that God is our Father; for it assures us that 
even our weakness and infirmities, nay, our very 
sins and shortcomings, may not exclude us from his 
notice and regard; on the contrary, “Even as a 
father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them 
that fear him ;” and this is his own promise—* I will 
spare them, even as a man spareth his own son that 
serveth him.” If such be the relation in which we 
stand to God, and such the feelings with which he 
regards us, then, when we draw near to him in the 
spirit of adoption, we need not be cast down or dis- 
couraged by a sense of our weakness and infirmities ; 
for just as a father’s heart is touched by the weakness 
of his child, so that the child is never more tenderly . 
dealt with than when he is sick and faint,* and just as 
a father’s arm is all the more ready to be stretched 
* Bolton, p. 247. 
MG 


% 


AS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 473 


forth for his child’s support, when sensible of its own 
weakness, it clings to him with fear, lest it should 
fall; nay, just as a father’s sympathy and love are 
sure to be called forth, when an obedient son seeks to 
serve him, and grieves that he cannot serve him bei- 
ter,—and are never more sincerely or deeply felt, than 
when, in the exercise of a wise discipline, he chastens 
and rebukes the child of his love ;—just so God, as 
our Father in heaven, or rather much more, seeing that 
his love is infinite and unchangeable, will regard the 
weaknesses and wants, the infirmities and imperfec- 
tions of his children. For hear his own gracious 
words, “ Can a woman forget her sucking child, that 
she should not have compassion on the son of her 
womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget 
thee.’—“ Is Ephraim my dear son, is he a pleasant 
child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly 
remember him still, therefore my bowels are troubled 
for him: I will surely have mercy upon him, saith 
the Lord.” ‘With such views of God, and of his rela- 
tion to him as a Father, the believer’s communion 
with him is sweet; he feels in prayer very much as a 
child does when he speaks to a father both able and 
willing to help him; and having liberty of access at 
all times, and frequent occasion, as well as the richest 
encouragement to pour out his heart and to spread 
out his case before him, he acquires a growing desire 
for his fellowship, and prayer comes to be his con- 
stant habit and his sweetest privilege; he is “ careful 
for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and suppli- 
cation with thanksgiving he makes his requests known 
ah 


474 THE WORK Of THE SPIRIT 


unto God; and the very peace of God which passeth 
all understanding, shall keep his heart and mind 
through Christ Jesus.” 

And just as the filial love which he bears to God 
as his father is associated with a fraternal love to all 
his people, so the communion which he enjoys with 
God will ever be accompanied with the desire to hold 
communion also with all in every place who belong 
to the same family,—who share in his privileges, and 
partake of his spirit, and cherish his hopes, as children 
of the same father, and expectants of the same inheri- 
tance. It is the counsel of God to all his children— 
“See that ye fall not out by the way,”—* love as 
brethren, be pitiful, be courteous;” and in token of 
their common relation and their mutual love, God 
is pleased to make them sit down at the same table, 
and to unite in commemorating the riches of redeem- 
ing grace, while, by partaking of the sacred symbols, 
they profess the same faith, and are fed with the 
“children’s bread.” It is in “ the spirit of adoption” 
that every communicant should approach the table— 
not in the spirit of bondage, as if it were a task, or a 
gloomy and uncomfortable service ; but in the spirit 
of adoption, crying, “‘ Abba, Father;” for the sacred 
symbols represent the broken body and the shed blood 
of the Saviour, through which we obtain liberty of 
access, and may come boldly to the throne of grace; 
they point to ‘ the new and living way which he hath 
consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his 
flesh ;” and when we are called on to partake of them 
together, in an act of solemn social worship, we should 


AS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 475 


feel towards each other as brethren; as children of 
the same father, seated around the same table; all 
sharing more or less in the infirmities and weaknesses 
which still cleave to his children on earth, but shar- 
ing also in the same precious privileges, partaking of 
the same spiritual food, and cherishing the same ever- 
lasting hopes. | 

5. The spirit of adoption implies a disposition fo 
trust in God for the time to come, just as a child 
confides in the wisdom, and faithfulness, and care of 
a wise and affectionate father. If we have been 
delivered from the spirit of bondage unto fear, and if 
we have been enabled to draw near to God, through 
Christ; as our reconciled and forgiving Father, then 
we have ample reason to cherish an unshaken confi- 
dence in his unchangeable love, and to commit our 
future way unto the Lord, in the assurance that “he 
will bring it to pass.” The prospects even of a child 
of God in this world may, indeed, be often dark and 
threatening ; the future may seem to the eye of sense 
to afford much cause for anxiety and apprehension ; 
and in musing over it, the believer may sometimes be 
conscious of many painful misgivings and dark forebod- 
ings of heart. Even when he has been on the mount 
of communion, and has been ready to exclaim, “It is 
good for us to be here,” the thought may have occur- 
red to him that he must soon descend again into the 
world, to be harassed once more by its business, and 
beset by its temptations, and exposed to all the dan- 
gers, and difficulties, and trials, which must be his 
portion in the vale of tears; and he may occasionally 


et 


\tialliial 


476 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


feel a tendency to cherish the sad apprehension, that 
possibly after all the privileges he has enjoyed, and 
all the professions he has made, he may fall short of 
the rest which remaineth for the people of God, and 
may make shipwreck of faith and of a good conscience, 
by yielding to those adverse influences which he can- 
not avoid, and which he is so unequal to resist and 
overcome. At all events, he must lay his accouut 
with many trials; and he is perhaps afraid to face, 


_ and disposed to shrink from them. The spirit of 
bondage which is unto fear can give no relief, and 


afford no comfort in such a case; on the contrary, it 
is ever ready to brood over all the varieties of possible 
evil, and to convert future danger into present dis- 
tress, and even to magnify, by its own distorted vision, 
the difficulties which lie before us; but the spirit of 
adoption may give relief—not, indeed, by exempting us 
from trials, still less by making us indifferent or insen- 


' sible to them,—but by enabling and disposing us to 


commit our case into God’s hands, in compliance with 
his own declaration, “ Cast thy burden upon the Lord, 
and he shall sustain thee.” Tor just as a little child 
looks to the wisdom, and confides in the care of an 
affectionate father, and when he ventures out into the 
world feels all the more secure when he knows that a 
father’s foresight has arranged his plans, and a father’s 
eye is still watching over his progress ;—just so the 
believer looking up to God as his father in heaven, 
and knowing that nothing can happen to him without 
His permission or appointment—that He is ever pre- 
sent to observe, and almighty to sustain, and unerring 


AS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 477 


to direct him,—and that He has pledged his faithful 
word of promise, saying, “‘ [ will never leave thee, nor 
forsake thee,’—“ as thy day is, so shall thy strength 
be,’—“ my grace is sufficient for thee,”—“ I will per- 
fect my strength in weakness,”—and “ all things shall 
work together for good to them that love God,”—is 
able to say with the apostle, in the spirit of childlike 
confidence, ‘* Therefore.may we boldly say, The Lord 
is my helper; I will not fear ;” and with the Psalmist, 
‘¢ The Lord is my shepherd ; I shall not want.” 

6. The spirit of adoption implies a spirit of cheer- 
ful obedience and submission to God’s will,—of obe- 
dience to his will as it is revealed in the Word, and 
of submission to his will as it is displayed by the 
dispensations of his providence. 

An obligation to obedience is necessarily involved 
in the relation of sonship, and wherever that relation 
really exists, and is asscciated with the corresponding 
spirit of adoption, it willlead-to the unreserved, un- 
conditional, and cheerful observance of every part of 
God’s revealed will. For “ a son honoureth his father, 
and a servant his master: if, then, I be a father, 
where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where 
is my fear ?” If you have ought of the spirit of adop- 
tion, it will be “‘ your meat and your drink to do the 
will of your Father in heaven,’—your language will 
be, “‘ Father, not my will, but thine be done,”—‘ Our 
Father which art in heaven, thy will be done on 
earth, even as it is done in heaven.” And this being 
your sincere desire, you will be solicitous, in the first 
instance, to ascertain in every case what is the will of 


MN 


478 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


God, by carefully consulting the law which he has 
written on the tablets of your hearts, and the clearer 
law which he has revealed in the pages of his Word; 
and when you have ascertained his will, you will obey 
it at all hazards,—suffering neither the temptations of 
the world, nor the lusts of your own hearts, nor the 
sophistry by which your passions would beguile and 
mislead your conscience, nor any considerations of 
interest or expediency, to deter or seduce you from 
following that straight path of duty in which God 
commands you to walk. For being God’s children, 
the opinions of men and the gain of the whole world, 
will be as nothing to you in comparison with the 
slightest intimation of his will. And the spirit of 
adoption will give a new character to your obedience 
—it will be no longer the reluctant and half extorted 
service of a slave, but the willing, and cheerful, and 
devoted homage of a son, submitting to his father’s 
guidance, not of cdnstraint, but willingly, and devoted 
to his service because he delights to do him ‘honour. 
This is the characteristic difference betwixt the legal 
obedience of fear, and the evangelical obedience of 
love. And just as love is a more kindly and generous 
principle of action, so the obedience that flows from 
it will be at once more unreserved in its extent, and 
more cheerful in its nature—pleasant to him who ren- 
ders, and acceptable to him to whomit is paid. Such 
is the obedience which God, as a Father, expects from 
all his children; but oh! if an unreserved and cheer- 
ful compliance with his will be the test of sonship— 
if the spirit of adoption must reconcile us to all his 


> 2 


. 
“a > 


1a, 


AS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 479 


conraands, and engage us in a life of holy obedience,—. 
what shall we say of those who, bearing the Christian 
name, and appearing amongst the children at his 
table, are nevertheless living in the habitual neglect 
or violation of his law,—communicants who come to 
his table, saying, ‘‘ Abba, Father!” and as often as they 
pray, call him * Our Father which art in heaven ;”— 
yet, when they go back to the world, “ return like a 
dog to his yomit, or like a sow that is washed to her 
wallowing in the mire?” Are there none bearing the: 
Christian name among us, who are conscious that 
their practice ill accords with their profession, as 
children of God? I speak not of the infirmities and 
shortcomings with which every Christian is charge- 
able; but of that wilful and habitual opposition, in 
some respect or other, to God's will, which is utterly 
inconsistent with the spirit of filial reverence and love. 
Can he be a child of God, who, when God commands 
him to sanctify the Sabbath, profanes it by worldly 
business or vain amusements; or when God com- 
mands him to be, sober and temperate, gives himself 
to rioting and drunkenness; or when God enjoins 
purity of heart and life, lives in uncleanness and 
licentious pleasure ; or when God prescribes the path 
of honour and integrity, prefers the crooked paths of 
dishonesty and deceit? It cannot be: and they who, 
presuming on their Gospel liberty, dare to live in the 
habitual neglect or violation of any part of God’s will, 
must bear to be reminded, that if the spirit of adop- 
tion gives a new character to our obedience, it is not 
in the way of relaxing it or bringing it down to the. 


hae 


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480° THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT — » 

» - —* , 


standard of the world’s opinions and habits, but by 
raising it, and infusing into it new life and strength, 
~ and making it at once more cheerful, more unresery- 
ed, and more devoted than before ; and that, “if where 
the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,” it is not 
the liberty of those who turn the grace of God into 
licentiousness, or “ who continue in sin because grace 
abounds ;” but the liberty of men “ who run in the 
way of his commandments, when God has enlarged 
their hearts ;” and who feel the force of the apostle’s 
exhortation—‘ Brethren, ye have been called unto 
liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the 
flesh ;’—-as “‘ free, and not using your liberty for a 
cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.” 
The spirit of adoption, while it implies a disposi- 
‘tion to obey God’s will, as it is revealed in his Word, 
will manifest itself alsoin the way of quiet and re- 
signed submission to his will, as it is displayed in the 
dispensations of his providence. These dispensations 
may often be afflictive ; and they may serve to try the 
faith and patience of his people, insomuch, that they 
may sometimes be in heaviness through manifold 
temptations, But the spirit of adoption will lead 
them to regard all these trials, however numerous and 
severe and protracted they may be, as the discipline 
of a Father’s hand; and they will bow before the rod, 
and kiss it, even when it smites them. Knowing that 
nothing happens by chance, and that every thing in 
their lot is ordained by unerring wisdom and infinite 
love, and will be overruled for God’s glory and their 
own good,—and remembering the gracious words 


’ 


a _ - tt 
. * 


+ — pies 
i 
~ Aes 
AS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 481 


“ ‘Whom the Lord loyeth he chasteneth, and scourgeth — 


every son whom he receiyeth,” they will not only lay 
their account with trials, but feel it to be alike their 
duty and their privilege to resign themselves into the 
Lord's hands, saying, ‘‘ It is the Lord, let him do as 
seemeth good in his sight.” And who does not see 
that the spirit of adoption gives a new character to 
our submission, and imparts a sweetness to our very 
trials¢ The spirit of bondage may produce a sullen 
and reluctant submission, such as a man would yield 
to inevitable necessity, or to overwhelming power ; 
but the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, ‘“ Abba, 
Father,” views every trial as a Father’s chastisement, 
and connects it with a Father's love ; and responds to 
the aposile’s touching appeal—* We have had fathers 
of our flesh who corrected us, and we gave them reyve- 
rence ; shall we not much rather be in subjection unto 
the Father of spirits, and live ?” 

7. The spirit of adoption is associated with inward 


peace, and-comfort, and hope, which, although they — 


may be disturbed and interrupted by the operation of 
other causes, are its proper and natural fruit, and 
which springing up, and growing by degrees, may 
issue in the full assurance of sonship, The spirit of 
adoption is essentially, in its own nature, a peaceful 
and happy frame of mind. Every thing within and 
around, above and beneath, present and future, tem- 
poral and eternal, assumes a new aspect, when we can 
call God our Father. Even the beauties of nature, 
always lovely, acquire a fresh loveliness to the Chris- 
tian, when he can look abroad over its sublime moun- 


= 


mer 


482 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


om 


tains and smiling landscapes, and say, “ My Father 
made them all;” and so the events of providenee— 
the evolutions of that mighty scheme which embraces 
all our interests and hopes—appear in a new light 
to the believer, when he can say, “‘ My father rules 
them all.” | , 

But more especially, the vast scheme of grace and 
redemption appears in a new light, when, m the spirit 
of adoption, he can look to the Author of that scheme 
as his Father, once offended, but now reconciled; and 
what God has already done for him, as a pledge of 
what he is still willing to do—an earnest of the fulfil- 
ment of all his promises. For “if God spared not his 
own Son, but delivered him up to the death for us all ; 
much more will he, with him, also freely give us all 
things.” “I am persuaded that neither death nor 
life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor 
things present, nor things to come, shall be able to 


-geparate us from the love of God which is in Christ 
~ Jesus our Lord.” 


‘* The spirit of adoption, implying, as it does, a sense 
of God’s love, and faith in his covenant promises, must 
necessarily be accompanied with some measure of 
hope; and although that hope may be too weak to 
admit of our using the strong language of assurance, 
in regard either to our present state or our everlasting 

- prospects, it may be sufficient to sustain, and animate, 


_- and encourage us in our Christian course. <A child- 


like disposition of mind, including trust and resigna- 
tion, and a contrite and tender spirit, may exist where, 


through remaining darkness, or occasional weakness, 


‘% 


a * 


AS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 483 — 
~via e" 
a heliévet may be unable to use that Janguage 5 but 
as this filial spirit is matured, it may grow up to the 
full assurance of hope, being in itself at once an evi- 
dence of our sonship, and an earnest of our future in- 
heritance ; for the Holy Spirit of promise is itself the 
earnest of our inheritance, and the first-fruits of the 
Spirit are a pledge of a glorious harvest; and this 
may explain the difference, as well as the connection 
which subsists betwixt the spirit of adoption, whereby 
we cry « Abba, Father,” and the witness of the Spirit, mY 
of which we read in the succeeding verse, by which 
“He witnesseth with our spirits that we are the chil- 
dren of God ; and if children, then heirs, heirs of God, 
and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.” , 

There are two different classes, whose experience 
may be the same, in so far as the absence of all sen- 
sible comfort is concerned, but is so different in other _ 
respects, that we must carefully discriminate betwixt 
them in offering, as we now propose to do, a few ob- 
servations for their direction and relief. e.” 

There may be some who are sensible that they have « 
never, at any time, been enabled to look to God with “© 
other feelings than those of terror and aversion,—that 
his holy character, and righteous law, and awful 
government, have invariably filled them with appre-_ 
hension and alarm,—and that they have obtained relief 
from these distressing feelings only when they suc- — i “ 

ceeded, for a time, in banishing the thought of God and 
death and eternity from their minds, or in cherishing 
such conceptions of his perfections and purposesas they = 


484 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


knew to be at variance with the revelation of his char- 
acter and will in the Word, but which were felt to be 
more in accordance with their own wishes, and indis- 
_ pensable to their inward peace. Such persons may be 
a assured, that, as often as their habitual carelessness has 
been disturbed by occasional convictions of conscience, 
or awakening glimpses of the truth, they have experi- 
enced what is meant by the apostle when he speaks of 
the spirit of bondage unto fear ; and if there be any who 
are labouring under the burden of guilt, and groaning 
under the bondage of fear, while they are sensible of 
no relief, and even ignorant of the remedy which is 
provided for them in the Gospel,—I would affection- 
ately remind them, that there is much in their present 
condition which is fitted alike to suggest a solemn 
warning, and to impart a rich encouragement. There 
is something unspeakably solemn in the thought, that 
_ these convictions — these fears and misgivings, of 
which they are conscious—have all been awakened by 
God’s law, applied to their consciences by the Holy 
Ghost,—and that their present experience may be the 
first-fruit of the Spirit’s operation, to whom it belongs 
’ and considering them 
in this light, I would say nothing to allay their con- 
victions, or to remove their fears, or to rebuke their 
misgivings, as if they were either extravagant or un- 
founded; on the contrary, believing that they are the 
proper fruits of the law, when applied to a sinner’s 
conscience, and that, so far from being too intense, 
they fall far short of what the real state of the case 
warrants and requires,—I would seek to deepen even 


“to reprove the world of sin :’ 


AS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 485 


your deepest convictions of guilt, and to impress you 
with the thought that your danger is ‘really greater 
than your fears. But while we dare not offer you re- 
lief from your present bondage, by relaxing the fetters, 
or lowering the demands, or tampering with the curse 
of God’s righteous and unchangeable law,—we can 


point to a way in which you may exchange your © 


bondage for perfect freedom, without any violation of 
God’s law, without any disparagement of His char- 
acter,—without any dishonour to His government,— 
without any denial, either of your own sin, or of His 
eternal justice. Look from the law to the Gospel— 


from the curse to the cross—from Sinai, with its . 


thunderings and lightnings, to Calvary,—where the 
lawgiver became the law-fulfiller, and the end of that 
law for righteousness to every one that believeth ;— 
look, even now, under all your legal terrors, to Christ, 
as the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the 
world; and to God in Christ, reconciling the world to 
himself, and not imputing unto men their trespasses ; 
and—on the instant when you apprehend the great 
truth, that, just as God is, and guilty as you feel 
yourselyes to be, God can be, through Christ’s propi- 
tiation, the just God, and yet the Saviour,—on that 
instant you may pass from a state of bondage into the 
liberty of a child, and feel that a new spirit is given 
to you, even the spirit of adoption, whereby you may 
ery, “ Abba, Father.” And that you may be encour- 
aged to avail yourselves of this gracious deliverance, 
remember, I beseech you, that while the calls and in- 
vitations of the Gospel are alike universal and free, so 


486 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


that they belong to sinners as such, and to all sinners 


without exception; yet, as if with a special view to . 


your own case, they are often particularly addressed 
to suchas are labouring under the spirit of bondage 
unto fear ;—not that careless and fearless sinners are 
excluded, because all are invited, even the wicked 
and the unrighteous,—but to meet the difficulties, and 
fears, and scruples of convinced and awakened sinners, 
they are mentioned as it were by name— Come 
unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden; and 
I will give you rest ’—“ Ho, every one that thirsteth, 
come ye to the waters” —‘‘ Whosoever is athirst, let 
him come, and take of the water of life freely.” 

But there is another class, very different from the 
former, who may be labouring under a spirit, which, if 
not the same, is yet nearly akin to the spirit of bondage 
unto fear,—I mean the spirit of heaviness, through 
manifold temptations, to which many of God’s people 


themselves are subject, and which is often associated | 


with, and apt to engender doubts and fears as to their 
safety, misgivings as to their interest in Christ, and their 
participation in the privileges of sonship. Such per- 
sons have experienced, in former times, the liberty and 
enlargement of heart which the Gospel imparts ; and 
have known what it is to be translated out of dark- 
ness into God’s marvellous light; and to look up to 
God, with childlike confidence, as a reconciled Father. 
—But now, they are visited again with a spirit of 
heaviness, arising from asense of shortcoming, or from 
a season of declension, or from the withdrawment of 
the light of God's countenance ; and this spirit. of 


AS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 487 


heaviness may, like the spirit of bondage, be accom- 


panied with many distressing misgivings and fears; 


so that, in their present state, they may have no com- 
fort, and no childlike confidence in looking up to 
God, and no freedom to say, “ Abba, Father.” To 
such I would affectionately say, in the way of warn- 
ing, Your present experience is a very solemn call to 
search and try your ways; to consider what may be 
the occasion of God’s controversy with you; to hum- 
ble yourselves on account of your sins and short-com- 
ings, your neglected privileges, your abused mercies, 
your broken resolutions and yows; and to make full 
and frank confession before God,—just as a child 
should do when he has offended an affectionate father. 
But I would also say, in éhe way of encouragement, 
that you are not to regard your present experience, 
dark and distressing as you may feel it to be, as afford- 
ing, of itself, any evidence that you do not belong to 
the number of God’s children. You may be apt to 
imagine that it would not be thus with youif you had 
obtained the privilege of sonship; but be assured, no 
trial has befallen you which has not been common to 
God’s children in all ages of the Church; for Peter 
speaks of God's children, when he says, that ‘“ now, 
for a season, if need be, they are in heaviness through 
manifold temptations ;” and we have the recorded ex- 
amples of holy David, who said, «I remembered God, 
and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was 
overwhelmed ;’—and of Heman—<‘ Lord, why castest 
thou off my soul ? why hidest thou thy face from me ¢ 
Yam afflicted and ready to die from my youth up; 


sP 4 


’ 
7 
es 


488 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


while I suffer thy terrors, I am distracted ;’—and 0} 


- Job—“ The arrows of the Almighty are within me, the 


poison whereof drinketh up my spirit; the terrors of 
the Lord do set themselves in array against me ;”—and 
of Jonah—‘“I said, I am cast out of es sight, yet 
will I look again toward thy holy temple ;”—and of the 
Lord Jesus himself, who exclaimed on the eross, in 
words which breathe at once a spirit of heaviness and 
of childlike faith, “ My God, my God, why hast thou 
forsaken. me?”—~And finally, in the way of direc- 


, tion, you rust obtain relief from your present dis- 
tresses and fears, by the exercise of the same simple 


faith by which you first entered into peace ; you must 
look out of yourselves to Christ—and, forsaking the 
Jaw, find refuge in the gospel; you must repair anew 
_ to the fountain which God has opened for sin and 

r uncleanness, and cast yourselves on the merey 
ps Bitiainess of a covenant-keeping God; and be 
assured, that, sooner or later—for you must wait the 
Lord’s time—he who hath taken you into the wilder- 
ness, will speak comfortably unto you; the cloud 
which now intercepts from you the light of His 
countenance will be dispersed ; and you will yet go on 
your way rejoicing,—and cry, in the spirit of adoption, 
“« Abba, Father.” 


AS THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER. 489 


CHAPTER ITI. 


THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT AS THE SPIRIT OF 
PRAYER. 


In the Scriptures a special operation of the Spirit is 
mentioned, by which he aids his people in the exer- 
cise of prayer; and it is spoken of as one that 1s 
common to all believers, and permanent through all 
ages of the Church. This cheering truth is implied 


in God’s promise of old, “ I will pour upon the house. 


of David. and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit 
of grace and of supplications ;” and it is implied also 
in the declared duty of all believers, which is described 
in the apostle’s exhortation, ‘Praying always with all 
prayer and supplication in the S pirit.” But the most 


emphatic testimony on the subject is contained in the , 


words of the apostle (Rom. viii. 26), “ Likewise the 
Spirit also helpeth our infirmities ; for we know not 
what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit 
itself maketh intercession for us with groanings that 
cannot be uttered.” That the Spirit of God does in 
some way, “ make intercession for the saints,” is abun- 
dantly evident from these passages ; but it may be 
Il 


490 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


useful to inquire, first, In what sense this is to be un- 
derstood, or, in what way the Spirit acts as a Spirit of 
grace and supplication ; and, secondly, What lessons, 
whether of warning, direction, or encouragement, may 
be deduced from the doctrine of his agency in prayer. 

I. In explanation of this doctrine,—it is not to be 
understood as importing, that the Holy Spirit makes 
intercession for us in his own person, or that he 
directly addresses his prayer to the Father on our be- 
half. Christ, as Mediator, prayed for his disciples 
while he was yet on earth, and he still makes conti- 
nual intercession for them in heaven, by appearing in 
the presence of God for them: but the Holy Spirit is 
never represented in Scripture as interceding in the 
same way, either by offering up his own personal re- 
quest, or by appearing for us at the throne. He does 
intercede, however, in another way —by “‘ dwelling in 
us” as “the Spirit of grace and supplication’—dis- 
posing and enabling us to pray for ourselves. He is 
the Spirit of supplication, just as he is the Spirit of 
faith, and repentance, and hope. He is the author of 
these spiritual graces—the source whence they flow, 
and by which they are continually sustained. Yet 
they exist in the believer, and are exercised by him, so 
as to form part of his own personal character; and just 
so the Spirit is said to make intercession for us, when 
he stirs us up to intercede for ourselves, and gives us 
grace to desire and to ask what blessings we severally 
require. That this is the sense in which the doctrine 
is to be understood, appears from several expressions, 
which imply, that, by the Spirit’s grace, believers are 


AS THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER. 491] 


taught and enabled to offer up their own supplications 
at the throne ; for, first of all, it is not the Spirit, con- 
sidered as a distinct person of the Godhead, that is 
said to intercede, but “‘ the Spirit that dwelleth in 
you,” even the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry 
“ Abba, Father ;”—and, secondly, it is expressly said, 
that the Spirit helpeth: our infirmities 3; for we know 
not what' we should pray for as we ought,—our own 
prayers being directly referred to, -and_his interposi- 
tion designed to remove those hindrances, and supply 
those defects in ws, which would otherwise impair or 
interrupt our communion with God :—and, thirdly, it 
is added, that ‘“‘ he maketh intercession for us with 
groanings which cannot be uttered ;” an expression 
which cannot be applied personally to the Spirit, but 
is aptly descriptive of that moral earnestness and deep 
concern which he awakens in our own hearts ; and 
accordingly it is added, “‘ He that searcheth the hearts 
knoweth the mind of the Spirit.” These various ex- 
pressions are sufficient to show, that, by the interces- 
sion of the Spirit, we are to understand, the earnest 
supplication and prayer which we are disposed and 
enabled, by his grace, to offer up at the throne. 

If any one doubt the necessity of the Spirit’s aid in 
the exercise of prayer, there is enough in the words 
of the apostle to convince him of his error; for even 
an inspired man, classing himself along with other 
believers, says, “ The Spirit also helpeth our infirmi- 
ties; for WE know not what we should pray for as 
we ought.” This humbling confession of our own in- 
firmity and ignorance, and of our simple dependence 


492 THE WORK OF THE SPTRIT 


on the grace and strength of the Spirit is, indeed, 
much at variance with the natural feelings of the 
human heart, which is prone to self-sufficiency and 
presumptuous confidence in its own unaided powers 3 
but there is reason to fear that those who have never 
felt their need of the Spirit’s grace in the exercise of 
. prayer, have either never prayed at all, or if they have 
observed the outward form, are still strangers to its 
spiritual natuge, as the greatest work, the highest and 
holiest service of the soul, by which it holds com- 
munion with God in the exercise of those graces of 
faith, and love, and hope, which are all inspired and 
sustained by the Holy Spirit. The careless and pre- 
sumptuous sinner, or the cold and formal professor, 
may be conscious of no difficulty in prayer which 
cannot be overcome by the power of his own natural 
faculties : he may content himself with the repetition 
of a form of words, such as his memory can easily 
retain and recall, and caring for no farther commu- 
nion with God than what may be implied im the oc- 
casional or regular use of that form, he is not sensible 
of any infirmity such as calls for the aid of the Spinit ; 
but not such are the feelings of any true believer, for 
never is he more sensible of his own infirmity, and of 
his absolute dependence on the Spirit's grace, than 
when he seeks, in the hour of prayer, to spread out 
his case before the Lord, and to hold communion and 
fellowship with him as his Fatherin heaven. Having 
some idea, however inadequate, of the greatness and 
majesty of God; and some sense, however feeble, of 
the spirituality of his service ;—knowing that “ God 


ag 


wv? 


AS THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER. 493 


is a Spirit, and that they that worship him must wor- 
ship him in spirit and in truth ;” but conscious at the 
same time of much remaining darkness,—of the cor- 
ruptions which still cleave to him, and of the mani- 
fold distractions to which his mind is subject, even 
in the most solemn exercises,—he knows what those 
“infirmities” are of which the apostle speaks, and 
will be ready to join with him in the humbling con- 
fession, ‘* We know not what things we should pray 
for as we ought.” His own experience teaches him 
that the spirit of prayer is not the natural and spon- 
taneous product of his own heart,—that it was im- 
planted there, and that it must be continually sus- 
tained by grace fronr on high; and long after he has 
been enabled to come with comfort to the throne of 
grace, and to pour out his heart with much of the 
peace which a spirit of adoption imparts,—he may be 
reminded, by the variations of his own experience, 
that he must be dependent, from first to last, on 
the Spirit’s grace for all his earnestness and all his 
enjoyment in prayer. Oh! what believer has not 
occasionally felt his own utter emptiness, and the 
barrenness even of this precious privilege, when, left 
to himself, he attempted to pray, while the spirit of 
prayer was withheld! You may have retired at 
your usual hour to your closets, and fallen upon your 
knees, and used even your accustomed words; but 
you felt that your affections were cold, your desires 
languid, and your whole heart straitened and op- 
pressed ;— you strove once more to renew your request, 
and with greater urgency than before; but in spite of 


* 


. > nee alle, 


494 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


all your efforts your thoughts began to wander even 
in God's immediate presence ; and as you rose from 
your knees, you were ready to exclaim,“Oh that it 
were with me as in months past,—oh, that I knew 
where I might find him! that I might come-even to 
his seat! I would order my cause before him, and 
fill my mouth with arguments.” On such occasions 
you complain of unbelief—of a wandering mind—of a 
hard and insensible heart, and these complaints are 
frequently heard amongst God’s people ; for I believe 
that He often visits them with such experiences, for 
the very purpose of impressing them with a humbling 
sense of their own infirmity, and reminding them of 
their dependence on the Spirit for the right use and 
enjoyment of all the means of grace. : 


The grace of the Holy Ghost, then, is indispensa- 


ble, if we would maintain the spirit, and enjoy the 


exercise of prayer; but we must ever remember, that 
in this, as in every other part of his work, he acts by 
the use of means, and in a way that is wisely adapted 
to the rational and moral nature with which we are 
endowed. He acts upon us, not.as mere machines, 
but as moral agents; and by various considerations - 
and motives, he teaches and disposes us to pray. 
Kyery part of his work as the Spirit of grace, has a 


_ tendency to prepare us for this exercise; for whether 


he act as a reprover, convincing us of sin,—or as 
a sanctifier, subduing our corruptions,—or as a com- 
forter, giving us peace and joy in believing,—or as a 
teacher, enlarging our views of divine truth, and con- 
firming our faith in it,—all the operations of his grace 


AS THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER. 495 


are subservient more or less directly to the exercise of 
prayer. But that we may have a clear and distinct 
idea of the Spirit's agency, as “ the Spirit of grace and 
supplication,” it may be observed more particularly, 
thee’ 

1. He enables us for prayer, by disclosing to us our 
necessities and wants, our sins and shortcomings, 


—so as to~impress us with a deep sense of our abso- 
lute dependence on God. ‘This is intimated, when it 
is said, “The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities ; for 
we know not what we should pray for as we ought.” 


Self-ignorance is a great hindrance to fervent prayer. “i 


We are not duly sensible of our wants, and hence we 
have no earnest desire for those supplies of grace 
which we really need; we are apt to say with the 
Laodiceans, I am rich and increased with goods, -and 
have need of nothing; not knowing that “* we are 
wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and 
naked.” 

Our prayers have respect either to our temporal or 
our spiritual wants, and with reference to both we 
need the enlightening and directing grace of the Spirit. 
In respect to our temporal wants, it might seem that 
we could have little difficulty in understanding them, 
and in praying for what things we need; but I ap- 
prehend, every experienced believer will be ready to 
acknowledge. his ignorance on this subject, and to 
confess that he often knows not what is really good for 
him. Every condition of life has its peculiar snares, ¢ 
and temptations, and trials; and one of the most pre- 
cious fruits of the Spirit is a disposition to resign 


Pf 


ro 


496 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


ourselves to the will of God, and to pray for temporal 
‘blessings only in so far as they may be consistent with, 
or conducive to, our spiritual welfare. This resigned 
and spiritual frame of mind is beautifully expressed 
in the prayer of Agur,—‘‘ Give me neither poverty 
nor riches: feed me with food convenient for me: lest 
I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord 
or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my 
God in vain.” This is so far from being the natural 
disposition of our hearts, that the apostle represents 
the very opposite spirit as prevailing among: profess- 
ing Christians, and breathing in their very prayers,— 
« Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that 
ye may consume it on your lusts.” 

In reference, again, to our spiritual wants, we are 
often lamentably ignorant of their nature and extent; 
and they who have paid most attention to the state 
of their hearts will be the first to feel how much they 
need the grace of the Spirit to direct them to a dis- 
covery of their sins. Thus David exclaims, ‘“ Who 
can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from 
secret faults’—“ Search me, O God, and know my 
heart: try me and know my thoughts: and see if there 
be any wicked way.in me, and lead me in the way 
everlasting.” Nothing is more necessary to prayer 
than to know the “ plague of our hearts.” 

2. The Holy Spirit, besides disclosing to us our 
wants, our weaknesses, and our sins, makes known 
the rich provision of all needful grace which is trea- 
sured up in Christ; and this is as useful for our 
direction and encouragement, as the discovery of our 


AS THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER. 497 


necessities is for awakening our desires, since it is, in 
a great measure, owing to our ignorance or unbelief 
in regard to the rich provision of the Gospel, that we 
“know not what we should pray for as we ought.” 
The Holy Spirit makes known to the believer, in all 
their fulness and variety, the inestimable blessings of 
redemption; for “ he takes of the things of Christ, 
and shows them unto us;” and he is sent that we may 
“ know the things which are freely given to us of God.” 

A clear discovery of the rich and glorious privi- 


leges which Christ has purchased for his people, is at, 


once a means of direction, and a source of encourage- 
ment in prayer: when they are placed before us in 
all their variety and extent, we feel how much we 
need them, how suitable they are to our real wants, 
and how infinitely precious and desirable in them- 
selves. Pardon, repentance, holiness, peace of con- 


science, eternal life,—when these and similar blessings - 


are vividly conceived of as having been purchased by 
the Saviour for his people, and offered to all without 
exception in the Gospel, we see what we should pray 
for; and we feel also that we have a free right and 
warrant to pray for them, infinitely great and precious 
though they be. Ignorance of the gracious provisions 
of the Gospel, or a dim and indistinct apprehension, 
either of the nature of these blessings, or of the method 
by which they were provided, or of the terms on which 
they are offered, is a great hindrance to prayer; but 
prayer becomes free and lively, in proportion as we 
are taught by the Spirit to know the things which are 
“freely given to us of God.” These are great bless- 


¥ 


498 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


ings,—and when we pray for them we may well feel 
that we make a great request of God ; but when we 
know that they are all treasured up for us in the ful- 
ness that is in Christ, and that they are freely ten- 
dered to us in the Gospel, “* we come boldly to the 
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find 
grace to help in every time of need.” 

3. The Holy-Spirit assists us in prayer, by working 
in us such dispositions and desires as make us to seek 
for those supplies of grace which we need, with ear- 
nest, importunate, and persevering supplication: “ As 
the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my 
soul after thee, OQ God. My soul thirsteth for God, 
for the living God: when shall I come and appear 
before God.” 

Naturally we have no such disposition or desire. 
The carnal mind, which is enmity against God, is 
naturally averse from those spiritual blessings of which 
it stands in need. ‘True, it is desirous of exemption 
from pain, and punishment, and danger; but what- 
ever is spiritual is obnoxious to its taste,—insomuch 
that were an unrenewed mind supposed (Gif we may 
suppose a case which is never realized in actual ex- 
perience) to be sensible, on the one hand, of its sin 
and misery and danger, and enabled to perceive, on 
the other, the number and variety of the blessings 
which have been purchased and offered by Christ ; it 
would, if left to follow its own inclination, without 
the restraining and renewing grace of the Spirit, re- 
fuse to accept God's great salvation ! 

The awakening of spiritual desire in the heart is 


_— se 


AS THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER. 499 


the work of God’s Spirit, and that desire must be 
kept alive by his continued agency: ‘ Blessed are 
they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for 
they shall be filled.” This new disposition or desire 
makes prayer natural, easy, and delightful to the 
people of God. Just as a natural man hungers and 
thirsts for food and drink, so the renewed man hun- 
gers and thirsts after righteousness. He has a new 
spiritual appetite which naturally and spontaneously 
seeks its proper spiritual aliment. And hence those 
commands and observances which are a burden and 
bondage to mere formalists, are an easy yoke to every 
living Christian. 

4. The Holy Spirit helps us in prayer, by strength- 


ening and exciting into lively exercise, those spiritual 


graces which are essentially implied in communion. 


with God. Prayer properly consists in the exercise 
of these graces: it is not the mere utterance of words, 
nor is it even the mere expression of natural feeling ; 
it is an exercise of repentance, of faith, of love, of 
trust and delight in God;—of repentance, which is 
expressed in the language of confession ; —of faith, for 
he that cometh to God must believe that he is the re- 
warder of them that “diligently seek him ;’—of love, 
for we call him Abba, Father—our Father which art 
in heaven; of trust, for we commit our case into his 
hands;—and of delight, for the promise is, ‘ Delight 
thyself in the Lord, and he will give thee the desires 
of thine heart.” These graces are not only presup- 
posed or implied in prayer, but prayer properly con- 
sists in the lively exercise of them —insomuch that 


rs 


500 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


where these graces are awanting, there is no prayer, 
whatever forms may be observed, and whatever words 
employed. Now let it be remembered, that all these 
graces are the fruits of the Spirit,—that they are at 
first implanted, and must ever afterwards be nourished 
by the Spirit,—and you will perceive at once how the 
Spirit may assist us in prayer, simply by strengthen- 
ing and exciting into lively exercise all the gracious 
affections of the soul. By this means he gives us 
freedom and comfort in prayer; for where these graces 
are absent, prayer isa mere form; where they are 
weak, prayer is cold and languid; but where they 
abound, prayer is the soul’s communion with God. 

5. The Spirit aids us in this exercise, by helping 
our infirmities, when he either removes the hindrances 
to prayer, or stirs us up to watch against them, and 
to rise above them. 

_ There are many hindrances to prayer, some of them 
external, arising from the body, or the world,—others 
of them internal, arising from the state of our own 
hearts. Of the latter, I may mention ignorance, 
unbelief, indifference, despondency, and such like, 
which are removed by the Holy Spirit, as he is the 
enlightener, the sanctifier, and the comforter of God’s 
people; and of the former, bodily infirmities, the 
cares and business of life, the dissipating influence of 
society, and such like, from which the Spirit promises 
no exemption to any of his people, but which he 
strengthens them to resist, and enables them to over- 
come. But if we would overcome these hindrances 
to prayer, we must avail ourselves of those helps 


ter 


AS THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER. 501 


which the Spirit of God has provided for us, remem- 
bering that he acts in the use of ordinary means, and 
that his grace is to be sought in the way of duty. 

II. Many lessons might be deduced from the doc- 
trine of the Spirit’s agency, as ‘‘ the Spirit of grace and 
supplication,”—applicable alike for our warning, our 
direction, and our encouragement in prayer. 

We learn from it that prayer is a very solemn ex- 
ercise,—an exercise in which we not only hold direct 
converse with God whom we address, but in which 
God also holds converse with us by the operation of 
his Spirit in our hearts; and as this reflection is fitted 
to rebuke and humble us on account of the careless- 
ness with which we have too often approached his 
throne, so it should warn us against the guilt and 
danger of calling on his name without some suitable 
feelings of reverence and godly fear. 

We learn from it that prayer is an exercise far 
beyond our natural power, and demands the exercise 
of graces which can only be imparted by the Spirit 
of God; and this reflection, again, should direct us 
to look to the Spirit of all grace, and to implore his 
aid, as often as we come to the throne. 

We learn from it that God has made the most 
ample provision for our being restored to his commu- 
nion and fellowship; for not only is he revealed as 
the hearer and the answerer of prayer, sitting on the 
throne of grace, and waiting to be gracious; and not 
only is Christ revealed as our advocate and intercessor, 
standing beside the throne, and ready to present our 
requests, perfumed with the incense of his own merits ; 


‘couraged by this precious truth, we must habifuall 


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502 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT ea 
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but, lest when all outward impediments were removed, 


there might still remain some hindrance in our own 
hearts,—the Holy Spirit is also revealed as « the Spirit 
of grace and supplication,”—‘ who intereeceth for the 
saints according to the will of God; ”—and as this 
precious truth should encourage us to ask his grace 
to help our infirmities, so should it inspire the hope of 
an answer in peace; for every prayer thatis prompted 
by the Spirit is a pledge of its own fulfilment, seeing 

that “‘God who searcheth the hearts knoweth what is 

the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession 
for the saints according ‘to the’ will of God.” And 
although we should feel as if ‘we were at 4 “Wase far 

words to express our desires to God, even this should 

not discourage us ;—the desire of the heart is prayer, 
although it should find no fit utterance, for Moses’ 

heart spake only when God said, ‘“ Wherefore criest i» 
thou unto me;” and Hannah’s, when ‘“ she Hse ' 

in her heart,’—her lips moved, but her voice ka 

not heard, yet without words “she poured out h 

heart before the Lord,”—and the very want of suit ae 


_ expressions may only show, that the Spirit is making 
ntébepasion for us “with groanings that cannot be 


uttered.” $= 
But while we are warned, and directed, and e 


bear in mind, that the Spirit’s grace is to be sought i in- 
the path of duty,—that his influence is not desi he 
to supersede, but to stimulate our industry ; and 

if we would overcome the hindrances: which nea 
or mar our communion with God, we must diligently © 


AS THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER. 503 


avail ourselves of the helps which he has provided for 
our use. Where prayer is prevented or abridged by 
any necessary cause, and especially by bodily infirmity, 
the words of Christ himself show that he will make 
every reasonable allowance for our weakness; for on 
that memorable night, when he was in an agony in the 
garden, and when hissoul was exceeding sorrowful even 
unto death, and his sweat was, as it were, great drops 
of blood falling to the ground,—his disciples, whom he 
commanded to watch, began to sleep ; he gently re- 


- buked them, saying, “ What! couldst thou not watch 


? 


one hour ;” and exhorted them, “ Watch and pray, 
lest ye enter into temptation ;” yet no sooner was 


the warning uttered, than he himself suggested their 


7 


excuse, “‘ The spirit truly is willing, but the flesh is 
weak.” But there are other hindrances to prayer, 
for which no such allowance can be made, and which 
we must watch against and overcome in the use of 
every appointed means, if we would expect the bless- 
ing of the Spint. Our bodily infirmities themselves, 
when they proceed, as they often do, from sloth and 
self-indulgence, and from the fulness of a pampered 
appetite, are reasons for deep self-humiliation, when 
they mar our communion with God; and we should 
watch unto prayer, and even fast, if need be, remem- 


bering the apostle’s words, §* I keep under my body, 


and bring it into subjection, lest by any means, having 
preached the Gospel to others, I should myself be 
cast away.” And in like manner. the necessary 
business of life must be attended to; but the absorb- 
ing cares, the idle amusements the mere vanities of 


oe eS ee > 


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Be a . 
- 
504 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


the world, which’go’ often abridge the ‘time, and de- 
stroy the comfort of prayer, should be watchfully 
guarded against, and steadily resisted, if we would 
enjoy the communion of the Spirit in our fetlowsbip 


with God. 
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AS THE COMFORTER. 505 


CHAPTER IV. 


THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT AS THE COMFORTER. 


Oor blessed Lord intimated to his disciples before his 
departure, that he would not leave them desolate, or 
orphans, but would send them the Holy Spirit that 
he might abide with them for ever; and he spake of 
the Spirit as a paracieie (an expression which has 
been translated in our version—a comforter, but which 
admits of being rendered—an apvocaTE, or monitor), 
whose office it should be to plead the cause and to 
secure the welfare of his people in various ways, by 
helping their infirmities, guiding them into all truth, 
strengthening them against the assaults of temptation, 
sustaining them under the pressure of trial, and aiding 
them in the exercise of prayer. It is the less neces- 
sary to dwell on the mere meaning of that expression, 
because unquestionably in other places the Spirit is 
represented as executing the office of a comforter, as 
when the apostle says, “‘ Now the God of hope fill 
you with all peace and joy in believing, that ye may 
abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost.” 
(Rom. xv. 3.) The peace, ae joy, and hope which 
K 


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606 © THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


are here mentioned, are the constituent elements of 
that comfort which God has provided for his people; 
and elsewhere they are severally described as being of 
inestimable value—fruits alike sweet and precious of 
the riches of his grace; for this peace is called “ the 


» very peace of God which passeth all understanding 5” 


and this joy is said to be “‘ a joy unspeakable and full 
of glory ;” and this hope is “‘a living, a lively hope, 
an anchor to the soul both sure and stedfast, entering 
into that which is within the veil.” 

It may be useful to direct your thoughts’ to the 
source of this comfort ; to the method in which it is 
bestowed ; to the various degrees in which it may be 


- enjoyed ; and to the duty which is implied in the 


upostle’s prayer, of seeking “to be filled with all peace 
and joy in believing, and to abound in hope.” 


I. With reference to the source of this comfort, it 
is important to remark, that the peace, and joy, and 
hope in which it consists, are severally ascribed in 
Scripture to each of the three persons in the God- 
head, and represented as flowing to us out of the 
various offices which they execute under the cove- 
nant of redemption. God himself is the author of 
this comfort—the inexhaustible fountain of his good- 
ness being the source whence it proceeds; but it is 
not as the God of nature and providence,—the Crea- 
tor, Preserver, and Governor of the world,—it is as the 
God of grace and redemption that he imparts it to his 
people. It is to God in his covenant relation as God 
in Christ—the reconcijer and the Saviour of the guilty 

| em dy 


AS THE COMFORTER. 507 


that the apostle refers, when he speaks of him as 
the God of hope, and as “ the God of patience and 
consolation;” and more expressly still in another place, 
where he says, “ Blessed be God, even the Father of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the 
God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our. 
tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them 
which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith 
we ourselves are comforted of God.”—As God is the 
author of this comfort, so it comes to us in and 
through Christ as the Mediator of the new covenant. 
He was sent “to preach peace to them that were afar 
off, and to them that were near.” He’is himself “ our 
peace,” as he is “the propitiation for our sins ;” for 
‘being justified by faith, we have peace with God 
through our Lord Jesus Christ ; by whom also we have 
access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and 
rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Christ is “the 
Prince of peace,” and his Word is the “ gospel of 
‘peace ;” and he was sent at once to procure and to pro- 


claim that reconciliation on which our peace, and joy, 


and hope depend: “ He hath anointed me to preach 
good tidings to the meek; he hathsent me to bind up 


the broken-hearted,”—* to comfort all that mourn; to. 


appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto 
them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, 
and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” 


And, accordingly, both the Father and the Son are — 


conjoined in the apostle’s prayer— Now our Lord 
Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which 
hath loved us, and given us everlasting consolation 


oli 


508 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and 
stablish you in every good word and work.”—But this 
comfort, flowing from God himself as its source, and 
through Christ the Mediator of the new covenant as 
the channel by which it is conveyed to us, is applied 
to our hearts by the gracious agency and inward ope- 
ration of the Holy Spirit. The apostle prays for the 
Roman converts that they might be “ filled with all 
peace and joy in believing, and abound in hope through 
the power of the Holy Ghost ;” and of the primitive 
believers we read, that they “ walked in the fear of 
the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost.” 

The Spirit’s love as a Comforter is manifested in 
various ways. For jirst, It was the Spirit with which 
“Christ himself was anointed, and by which he was © 
qualified, in respect of his human nature, for the exe- 
cution of his great design—‘“ The Spirit of the Lord , 
God is upon me, for he hath anointed me to preach ;” 
—secondly, It was the Spirit who dictated the whole 
of that message of grace and mercy which is contain- 
ed in the gospel, for “ holy men of old spake as they 
were moved by the Holy Ghost ;” 
fore, is to be gratefully ascribed every ‘consolation 
. which the gospel imparts, and every hope which it 
inspires ;—and thirdly, It is the Spirit who, by his 
continued agency in the Church, and his internal 
operation on the minds of believers, enables them to 
understand the gracious import, and to feel the blessed 
influence of the gospel, so that they are “ filled with 
all peace and joy in believing, and abound in hope 
through the power of the Holy Ghost.” ? 


and to him, there- 


AS THE COMFORTER. 509 


Such is the view which is given in Scripture of the 
source or origin of the comfort that is here spoken 
of ; it is ascribed to each of the three persons of the 
Godhead, and represented as flowing to us out of the 
various offices which they fulfil under the covenant 
of redemption; and by this view, two reflections are 
suggested which may be briefly noticed: the first is— 
how gracious and lovely isthe aspect in which God's 
character is presented, when each person in the God- 
head is declared to be so much interested, not only in 
the safety, but in the comfort and happiness of his 
people; and the second is—how sweet and comfort- 
able is the dispensation under which we are placed, 
‘seeing that it is alike fitted and designed to fill us with 
all peace and joy in believing, so that we may abound 
in hope through the power of the Spirit of God. 
If, then, the Father be the very God of peace, the 
Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; and 
if his beloved Son be the Prince of peace ; and if the 
Holy Spirit be the Comforter, the Spirit of all grace 
and consolation ; and if the gospel be indeed, as its 
very name imports, glad tidings of great joy,—it fol- 
lows, that, however, from the operation of other causes, 
such as the remaining darkness of their understand- 
ings, or the unsubdued corruption of their hearts, or the 
weakness of their faith, or the strength of their temp- 
tations, or the number and weight of their trials, 
God’s people may sometimes have their peace dis- 
turbed, yet, in its native tendency and proper effect, the 

spel is fitted to produce and sustain “a peace which 
passeth all understanding,” and “a joy which is un- 


SRS 


510 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


speakable and full of glory.” And if any of his people 
e “* for a season in heaviness through manifold temp- 
tations,” “ walking in darkness, and having no light,” 
they may rest assured that their want of present comfort 
arises from no defect in Christ’s Gospel, and still Jess 
from any indifference to their real welfare on the part 
of God ;—-on the contrary, God is “ the comforter of 
those who are cast down;” and it is only, “if need 
be, ” and with a view to their ultimate good, that he 
subjects them for a season to this sore discipline,—tak- 
ing them, as it were, for a little time into the wilder- 


at, ness, that he may there speak comfortably unto them. 


ae % II. Having seen that God in Christ is the inex- 
haustible source of that comfort which is imparted to 

his people by the agency of the Spirit; it will be of 
considerable practical importance to consider the means 
and method by which the Holy Spirit fulfils this pre- 
cious and endearing part of his work. 

_ It were a dangerous error to suppose that the Spirit 
comforts his people, by infusing peace and joy and 


. oe hope into their hearts, without the use of the ordinary 


means.of grace, or separate and apart from his other 

ne fruits and operations, as their teacher and sanctifier. 

Ae ~ He acts in this, as in every other part of his work, in 

rae way that is consistent with the laws, and adapted 

to the necessities of our moral nature; and his work 

' is not divided; its various parts may be distinctly 

- considered, but they never exist separately from each 

other; they constitute one grand work by which our 
happiness is secured while our holiness is advanced. 

The Spirit comforts his people by means of the 


AS THE COMFORTER. 611 
truth revealed in his Word,—enabling them to un- ; , 
derstand its import, to feel its power, and especially ~ — ~ 


to apply it, in the exercise of an appropriating faith, 

to the case of their own souls. That the gospel, or 

the truth contained in the gospel, is the instrumental 

means by which the Spirit comforts his people, ap- 

pears from the apostle’s prayer above quoted, for he 

prays that they might be “ filled with all peace and 

joy in believing ;” and from his language in another =~ 

place, *“* For whatsoever things were written aforetime, “ 

were written for our learning, that we through patience 

and comfort of the Scriplures might have hope.” 

David, too, refers to the same means of consolation, 

when he says, ‘ This is my comfort in mine affliction ; 

for thy Word hath quickened me.” | 
He begins to impart this comfort at the very time 

of asinner’s conversion; for no sinner is converted «< 

until he is so far enlightened in the knowledge of 

Christ as a Saviour, and persuaded of the Seca pA 

and freeness of the gospel, as-to feel that he may, as a ce 

sinner, guilty and helpless as he is in himself, venga ‘ae 

on a scriptural warrant, to put his own personal trust ¥ 

in Christ, and to draw near to Ged through him, in be 

the humble hope, that ‘‘ whosoever cometh shall in : 

nowise be cast out ;” and there is enough in these, int 

the simplest elements of gospel truth, to impart im-. 

mediate relief and comfort to the sinner’s heart,—inéo- 4 

-much, that, like the Ethiopian treasurer, he may, from r 

that hour, “ go on his way rejoicing.” For the gospel 

of Christ is really a Gospel—good news, glad tidings = 

of great joy—addressed as it is, not to the innocent, 


aia 


om "i F 


512 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


but to the guilty,—and affording, as it does, to every 
man that is a sinner, and just because he isa sinner, a 
divine warrant, to return unto the Lord, in the assu- 
rance that he will have mercy upon him, even to our 
God, who will abundantly pardon. But while, from 
the beginning of his Christian course, the believer 
may taste and see that the Lord is gracious, and may 
experience that measure of peace, and joy, and hope, 
which the simplest elements of divine truth, when 
rightly apprehended, and really believed, are fitted 
to inspire; his comfort, like every other fruit of the 
Spirit, admits of growth and increase, and is advanced 
in proportion as he acquires larger and clearer views 
of the truth as it isin Jesus. The believer's com- 
fort is often, for a time, weak and fluctuating,—just 
because his views of divine truth are dim and in- 
distinct; but as these become, under the teaching 
of the Spirit, more clear and comprehensive, his com- 
fort also becomes more settled and stable. Every new 
view which he obtains of the character of God, as it 
is displayed in the cross of Christ,—every new proof 
of his wisdom, and justice, and love, in the work of 
redemption, and especially in his dealings towards 
his own soul,—every fresh experience of the power of 
God's truth,—must increase that comfort, which eyen 
his first faint glimpse of these things imparted to his 
heart ; and it is in this way, and especially by enlight- 
ening him more fully in the knowledge of Christ, that 
the Spirit comforts his people, as we learn from that 
remarkable prayer of the apostle—*“ For this cause I 
bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus 


q 


AS THE COMFORTER. 513 


Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth 
is named, that he would grant you, according to the 
riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by 
his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell 
in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and 
grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all 
saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and 
height ; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth 
knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness 
of God.” Mark here, (1.) That even true converts, 
genuine believers in Christ, are as yet comparatively 
ignorant of the boundless love of Christ. (2.) That they 
must be strengthened with might by the Spirit in the 
inner man, in order to form any suitable conception of it. 
(3.) That a knowledge of Christ’s love is slowly and 
gradually acquired in the course of Christian experi- 
ence; for Christ must dwell in our hearts by faith, 
and we must be rooted and grounded in love, in order 
to comprehend it. (4.) That, after all, they never can ~ 
exhaust a subject which is in itself inexhaustible: it 
has a height and a depth in it “ which passeth know- 
ledge.” And, (5.) To know Christ's love, as the Spirit _ 
only can make us know it, is the means of a comfort 
as full as it is sweet: it is to ‘‘ be filled with all the 
fulness of God.” In this manner, the Spirit comforts 
his people, by disclosing to them the fulness that is in 
Christ, and the freeness with which his privileges are 
bestowed ; for “we have received,” says the apostle, 
“not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of 
God ; that we might know the things which are freely 
given to us of God.” 


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4 | ‘THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


It is of great practical importance to remember, that 
“all genuine evangelical comfort has its ground and war- 
~ rant in the revealed truth of God; for then it is not 
delusive and groundless, like the false security of those 
who say, “ Peace, peace, while there is no peace,’— 
but it is stable, and sound, and permanent, in propor- 


_. tion to the strength of the ground on which it rests. 
_ . Again, the Holy Spirit provides for the comfort of 


his people— by sanctifying them. We read of two 
~ kinds of rest which Christ proposes to us in the gos- 
pels and these two are not only inseparably conjoined 
in Scripture, but will be found, in experience, to be 
very intimately connected. The first is the rest of 
justification or pardon, of which Christ speaks when, 
addressing the guilty sinner, laden with the burden of 


at his sins, he says, ‘‘ Come unto me all ye that labour 


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and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest;” He 
will take the burden of guilt away; He will abun- 
dantly pardon :—but the second is the rest of sanclif- 
cation—* Take my yoke upon you, and Jearn of me; 
for J am meek and lowly in heart ; and ye shall find 
rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my 
burden is light.” 

This comfort arises from the subjugation of our un- 
holy passions, and the substitution, in their room, of 
the gracious fruits of the Spirit ; which are essentially, 
in their own nature, as peaceful as they are lovely,— 
and not only conducive to our happiness, but its con- 
stituent elements, It is only necessary to enumerate 
them, and to contrast them with their opposites, to see 
that, in their own nature, and apart from all arbitrary 


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AS THE COMFORTER. §15 


* 


rewards or punishments, they are essentially and in- 
herently blissful. Mark the contrast, as it is drawn 
by the apostle—* The works of the flesh are manifest, 
which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, 
lasciviousness, idolatry, witcheraft, hatred, variance, 
emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, 
murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like.”— 

« But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, Lond 


suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, tem- — 


perance: against such there is no law. And they ‘fiat 
are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections 


and lusts.” The mere enumeration of these opposite — 9 


qualities of character should be sufficient to convince 
you, that the graces of the Spirit are fitted, in their 
own nature, to minister to your comfort ; and we have 
the Lord’s own assurance that every beatitude stands 
connected with one or other of these graces,—when he 
says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit : for theirs is the 
kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: 
for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: 
for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they 
which do hunger and thirst after righteousness : for 
they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for 
they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in 
heart : for they shall see God.” 

The Spirit comforts us, then, by carrying on the 
great work of sanctification ; but it is no part of his 
office to comfort us “in our sins;’ and it is still true, 
as it ever was, that the wicked are as a raging sea, 
when it cannot rest ; for “there is no peace, saith my 
God, to the wicked.” . 


7 


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516 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT Spe. 


Again, the Spirit comforts his people, by disclosing 
to them, and enabling them to discern such marks 
and evidences of a work of grace in their hearts, as 
may afford a comfortable assurance of their sonship, 
and awaken a cheering hope of future glory. “The 
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirits that we 
_ are the children of God ; and if children, then heirs, 
heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.” Here, too, 
the Spirit acts as our Comforter,—not by making 
known our election with an audible voice, or revealing 
any thing that may not be gathered from the Word, 
when viewed in connection with our own experience, 
—but simply by producing his gracious fruits, and 
then enabling us to discern them as so many scriptural 
- marks and evidences of our conversion. For it is 
the presence of the Spirit in our hearts, evinced by 

the change which his power produces there, which is 
the witness or evidence of our sonship: “ Hereby we 
know that we dwell in God; because he has given us 
of his Spirit,”"—-and “he that hath wrought us for 
the self same thing is God, who also has given to us 
the earnest of his Spirit,’—and “ye are sealed with 
the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our 
inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased 
possession.” 

I need not say that it is no part of the Spirit’s work, 
as a Comforter, to exempt his people from trials ; on the 
contrary, they seem to be subjected to afflictions at once 
more numerous and severe than are those of the men 
of this world ; for, in addition to disease, and bereave= 
ment, and disappointment, which they share in com- 


AS THE COMFORTER. 617 


= 


mon with others, they are exposed to trials which are 
peculiar to themselves : some inward, arising from the 
exercise of their own minds—the warfare in which 

they are engaged—the discipline to which, if need be, 

they are subjected, for their trial, and humiliation, 

and establishment ; and others outward, arising from) 

the obloquy and opposition—the ridicule or persecu- 
tion of the world. But here is the mystery of their 
peace: it is peace in the midst of trouble,—joy in the 
midst of sorrow. “In the world,”says the Saviour, “ ye 

shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have 
overcome the world;”—and hence the apostle could 

say, “ We are troubled on every side, yet not distress- 
ed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, 
but not forsaken ; cast down, but not destroyed.” & 

III. The comfort of which we have spoken, arising 
from our views of God’s truth, the sanctification of 
our nature, and the inward witness of the Spirit,—may / 
exist in various degrees, according to the greater or 
less extent of our spiritual attainments; and this is 
intimated to us, as well as the duty of seeking for a 
large measure of evangelical comfort, in the apostle’s 
prayer—‘ The God of hope fill you with all peace and 
joy in believing ; that ye may abound in hope, through 
the power of the Holy Ghost.” 

F’rom the manner in which this prayer is expressed, 
we may learn that there is an intimate and mutual re- 
lation betwixt the constituent elements, of which the 
Christian’s comfort is composed; that there must first 
be present peace and joy in believing, before we can 
experience a lively hope which respects our future 


“mJ 


518 THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 


prospects ; as it will invariably be found, that there 
is no real hope of eternal life hereafter, until we are 
enabled so to believe the gospel, as to enjoy some 
measure of peace now. Those, therefore, who com- 
plain of the want of confidence, should be directed, in 
the first instance, to those simple elements of gospel 
truth, which are fitted to give immediate relief and 
comfort to the sinner; and those, again, who have 
experienced some small measure of peace, and have 


Seles 


been enabled occasionally to look forward with some- 


thing like hope to the future, should be encouraged to 


seek after larger measures of these blissful feelings ;— 


so that, “ being filled with all peace and joy in be- — 


lieving, they may abound in hope through the power 
of the Holy Ghost.” This is alike their duty and their 
privilege : it is their duty—since God himself requires 
them “ to give all diligence to make their calling and 
election sure ;” and it is their privilege—for this abun- 
dant consolation, and this good hope through grace, 
are declared to be attainable ; and every believer. will 
acknowledge that they are most desirable. And He 
who is revealed as ‘ the Father of mercies, and the 
God of all comfort,” is not unwilling to give the Spirit 
to them that ask him; nor is the Spirit unwilling to 
impart his consolations,—for he is “ the good Spirit” 


—‘ the Spirit of all grace,’—who is “ grieved” when . 


his consolations are slighted, and ever ready to “ bind 
up the broken-hearted,—to comfort all that mourn.” — 

But while we are encouraged by these considera- 
tions to expect and seek for a larger measure of peace, 
and joy, and hope, than we have yet experienced, we 


and for others ;—it is by these and similar means that 

we may expect to realize what the apostle supplicated = 

on behalf of his converts, when he prayed for them— * 
~“ The God of hope fill you with all peace and joy in 


“ee 


AS THE COMFORTER. ~ 619 


must ever rememberthat theyare to be sought for in the 

may of duiy, and in the use of the ordinary means of 
grace. Itis, first, by faith—by believing the testimony / 

of God in the-Gospel; and secondly, by “ diligence 

in duty,” giving all diligence to make our calling and 
election sure; and thirdly, by prayer for ourselves © 


believing ; that ye may abound in hope, through the 
power of the Holy Ghost.” 

And now on a calm and comprehensive review of v7 
all that has been said concerning the Work of the ae. 
Holy Spirit, both in the conversion of sinners, and = 


in the edification of His people, how appropriate to ee 
the case of every reader, whatever may be his chai ac ae iad 
ter, are these prayers of David :— wt Se pet 

« Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a , 
right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy 
presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit fromme. Re- 
store unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold 
me by thy free Spirit.”—‘ Teach me to do thy will; 
for thou art my God: thy Spirit is good; lead me 
into the land of uprightness.” — 


7 


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